Raven's Ace
by Ace.04
Summary: Raven finds someone kinda like her. He's mysteriously attractive and keeps her guessing. The Titans learn to deal with him, but for how long? [ocrae friendship]... [bbrae later on]. first fic dont be mean! read it the whole way through, you'll like it!
1. My favorite depressing cafe

I don't own the Teen Titans, or Evanescence. Everyone else is mine.  
This is my first story, so R&R please! Look at the lyrics, they're hella tight.

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**Raven **sat in a dark corner of her favorite depressing café. A small candle dimly lit the round table she sat at. The flicker of the flame slightly illuminated her pale face, barely enough to see her indigo eyes and the gemstone chakra. The blank look on her face would normally indicate boredom for most, but Raven was not bored at all. Her peers around her shared the same expression- an empty face filled with deep thoughts.

Today was "Open Mic", but Raven didn't want to share. Instead, she listened to everyone who went up to the microphone, and shrugged at how shallow their poetry was. She pulled out a book from beneath her cloak.

"Okay, everyone. Now listen up." A slim character took the mic in his hand. "Somebody feels like sharing. Let him know your listening." Every pair of eyes shifted toward the stage. Even Raven's. "Okay… here he is."

A handsome figure with jet black hair took the microphone from the host. He wore a black trench coat with a white undershirt and a pair of square glasses that complimented his face nicely. The stool behind him was pushed back and he stood with his face pointed down at the mic. Raven closed her book. She stared at him; he glanced around the room before beginning. He wasted no time getting started.

"Fallen angels at my feet  
Whispered voices at my ear.  
Death before my eyes  
Lying next to me I fear  
She beckons me  
Shall I give in  
Upon my end shall I begin  
Forsaking all I've fallen for  
I rise to meet the end"

Raven put her book on the table. It felt like he was speaking to her, or at least about her. He continued:

"Do you remember me  
Lost for so long  
Will you be on the other side?  
Or will you forget me?  
I'm dying, praying, bleeding and screaming  
Am I too lost to be saved  
Am I too lost?"

Now he was staring directly into her eyes. She was frozen. He _had_ to be talking to her, trying to tell her something, like she already knew.

"If you need to leave the world you live in,  
Lay your head down and stay a while.  
Though you may not remember dreaming,  
Something waits for you to breathe again"

The crowd just stared. Raven's eyes hadn't blinked.

"I heard that in a song once," he said. He left the stage, his audience nodding in approval.

"Thank you for that." The slim man was back on the stage with the mic in his hand, addressing the crowd. "Okay, if anyone else wants to come up, feel free to do so."

The handsome figure with jet black hair took a seat at an empty table. He was facing Raven, and she was facing him. A couple tables separated the two, but it didn't matter. They were in full view of each other. He placed his hand over the small candle that lit his table. His lips moved- he mouthed something inaudible to Raven's ears. Suddenly the flame on her candle grew larger. Her face was now completely visible from the candle's light. His eyes grew wide at seeing her beauty. He removed his hand, satisfied at what he saw. The flame on Raven's candle grew dim again. Raven's eyes looked down at the candle for a split second. She looked back at him; he was dissolving into the wall. In a swirl of black energy he worked through the wall and was gone. Raven did the same, using her identical powers to fade into the wall behind her; she was going to follow him.

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So all the poetry that he shares is from Evanescence songs, the first part from Whisper, the second from Tourniquet, and the third from Imaginary. I love those lyrics! R&R please, more chapters on the way. 


	2. A bit of advice

Blah blah blah, I don't own Teen Titans, Dr. Light. etc. so this is chapter two, it's predictable, i know, but it'll just set the scene. r&r, you **know **you **wanna**.

jk, but please do. I like proofreading, so if there are any mistakes etc, or if something sounds wierd than please let me know. During dialouge too... i let the reader follow the convorsations, i hope you can tell who is talking and such (starfire, BB, etc...) becuase i dont like saying "...said beast boy" that stuff, hah thanks. i dont know if you understood me right then, but if you did you willl have no problem reading my stuff

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**When **Raven backed out of the café using her dark powers, she ended up in an ally. From where her mysterious prey had exited, however, she discovered that he was on the other side of the street. Raven turned around sharply, looking in every direction for the person who captured her interests just moments ago. With him still in her mind, Raven took flight, flying swiftly through the ally trying to find a reasonable way out. She managed to get to the main road when her Titan communicator signaled.

"Raven, we need you!" yelled Robin through the radio. "Dr. Light is at the power plant again and he's power-surging the entire city! Lights are off all over town! Get down here now!" Raven wanted to search for just a little bit longer, but she knew her duties and left, taking a last glance at the ground as she took off. She spotted him staring up at her, and he tauntingly waved in the air to her. She stopped mid air, half wanting to go back. But she turned around, going south towards downtown, ready to get Dr. Light and rush back.

**Starfire** and Beast Boy charged full on at Dr. Light. Wearing his super suit that boosted his power tremendously, Dr. Light emitted a powerful light blast, sending the two of them soaring. Robin flew in on his grapple hook, kicking Dr. Light's right arm. His arm flung out, shooting out yellow energy, unintentionally aimed towards Raven as she flew in. She waved her hand in front of her, and a black shield appeared protecting her. She deflected the blast and joined the rest of the team.

"Geez, Raven, where've ya been?" questioned Beast Boy. "We're not exactly winning here!"

"He's right," agreed Robin, "Dr. Light's power is enhanced with that suit he's in. It's more powerful now that he's on his own turf. All of the static electricity surrounding us is elevating his power levels." Robin's observations were unfortunately true. Dr. Light was now glowing with power. He aimed his arms at Cyborg whose sonic cannon was out and ready. Cyborg shot a powerful blue blast at Dr. Light's arm. In return, he produced a blinding ray of light which met Cyborg's sonic blast head on. They battled out until their foe extended both hands, pushing Cyborg back and sprawling out on the ground.

"This is pointless," Raven said to herself. "I don't have time for this." Raven glanced back at the north side of town, still thinking of places where she might run into the boy from earlier. Dr. Light took advantage of her vulnerability. He shot her out of the air and onto the pavement. She landed with a thud.

"Raven!" Starfire helped her friend up off the ground. "The Dr. Light is most painful in his blasts of bright attacks." Starfire's eyes were glowing green when they burst with power. The shot hit Dr. Light square in the chest, cracking the light bulb source of power on his suit. His left arm stopped glowing. Robin's eyes widened.

"Titans! Aim for anything that glows, we are going to shut him down." His plan was logical. Robin commanded his team to attack with confidence. He whipped out his Bo Staff and swung at Dr. Light's remaining functional arm. His enemy jumped backwards and out of the way. Dr. Light ended up closer to the power plant fence, the only thing keeping him out of the actual facility. His fingers clenched around the chain links. He grinned evilly. His hands shone yellow, scorching the metal fence and bursting through. He laughed, running towards the massive power cells.

"You fools!" he began, "No one can stop me now! After I absorb this power the city's electric supply will be drained, giving me the power to take out the Teen Titans!" Dr. Light raised his arms and power surged through his veins. The heroes briefly exchanged looks, and reacted together.

"Titans, Go!"

Robin threw an energy disk which exploded in a red burst, hitting Dr. Light but having no effect. Starfire's star-bolts fired multiple times around Dr. Light's feet, and hit him several times in the face and chest. He stepped back some, regaining his balance. Raven used her telekinesis to lift the parked cars on the street. Cyborg charged his sonic cannon, and Beast Boy transformed into a charging rhino.

"Azarath... Metrion…" A blast from Dr. Light's power sources cut Raven's spell short. He made contact, blinding her briefly.

"Didn't I tell you before?" he chuckled, "A bit of advice: find shorter magic words…" Dr. Light mocked Raven as she picked herself up from off the ground. Cyborg released the sonic energy building up. A bright blue beam of power headed straight for Dr. Light and exploded into a swirl of grey smoke.

"Booyah!" celebrated Cyborg. "Huh?" The smoke cleared and Dr. Light was still standing. Beast Boy charged at the foe with much speed, hooking him with his horns and dragging him up off the ground. Dr. Light was thrown across the street. Robin and Starfire both ran towards the enemy, who simply lifted his arms and produced two blasts of light, sending them flying out of sight. Cyborg ran up to Dr. Light swinging fists. After a few successful hits, Dr. Light swung back with enhanced power. Cyborg lost his breath after getting hit in the gut. Dr. Light shot his power at Cyborg, who also went flying. Beast Boy and Raven stood ready for attack.

"Uhm, Raven?" Beast Boy asked, "Got any ideas?" She shook her head.

"Just hit him with whatever we got." Raven lifted debris from their battle, sending it straight at Dr. Light. Beast Boy changed into a massive T-Rex. He attacked from the ground while Raven continuously produced more objects to hurl. None of their attacks worked. Dr. Light disintegrated all of Raven's weapons and hit Beast Boy head on. They fell to the floor where they stood.

"Now that the Titans are out of my way, I can fully charge my suit, fix the cracks and have it functioning to perfection in no time!" Dr. Light had a triumphant look on his face. "With this all powerful suit, my power is unlimited! Without it, I doubt the Titans would have fallen, but now that that's in the past and my victory is assured, I'll be taking my leave…" A swift motion occurred and a cracking sound was made. Dr. Light stopped speaking.

"A bit of advice: Don't shout all your plans to the world. Especially when you're that weak…retard…"

The handsome figure with jet black hair stood at a close distance to the shocked villain. A single playing card was perfectly jammed into the Dr. Light's power suit: the Ace of Spades. It burst in his chest with a red explosion. Dr. Light was thrown back and landed on his side. Raven looked up at the nameless man with her mouth gaping. He looked at her and smiled. A simple but pure smile.

Dr. Light got up. "Who do you think you are? Some unheard of Teen Titan?" The confused Dr. Light readied power in the palms of his clenched hands. "No matter…" He released the energy at the man, of whom Raven was still staring.

Easily dodged, the energy blast hit the building behind him. "I'm not a Teen Titan. You can call me Ace." He held out his left arm in front of his chest, the tips of his fingers facing right. Ace reached into his sleeve and pulled out four cards, fanning them out before throwing them. Each card soared without wavering through the air. All four hit Dr. Light's right arm, each exploding simultaneously with a red burst. The seemingly defeated Dr. Light rolled over a few times before the smoke cleared. His arm was gone.

"M-m-my arm…" Dr. Light stammered at the shock. "Augh!" He screamed, staring at where his most powerful limb once was. Ace brought his hands together, outstretched in front of him. A green light shone through his fingers and he shot out an emerald blast at the villain. A blue spiral encircled the green beam. The blast hit Dr. Light and threw him onto a heap of metal.

"Time to finish you off…" Ace reached into the breast pocket of his trench coat.

"Wait!" Robin emerged. Seeing that he was not alone, Ace replaced what he had pulled out and went to Dr. Light's side. He placed the tips of his fingers on their enemy's chest. Ace pressed down gently. Dr. Light's arm reappeared; it was growing back. Dr. Light looked at his arm, then at Ace.

"Mercy…you have given me mercy…" He could barely say five words when the villain collapsed, unconscious. Robin rushed to Dr. Light's  
side. The other four Titans followed, Raven being slightly behind the others.

"What did you do to him?" Robin looked nervously at Ace. The other Titans were not so skeptical.

"Nice job out there!" yelled Beast Boy with a grin. "That was one heck of a fight, huh?" Ace laughed and nodded.

"No kidding! That was pretty intense!" Cyborg shook hands with the new hero.

"Marvelous! It was…most wonderful!" Starfire gazed at the handsome figure before her. Raven waited patiently.

"Thanks, guys, just in the neighborhood I guess," replied Ace modestly. "I could see his light show from uptown. It was a little too bright for my taste." He winked at Raven. She appeared less than impressed, but remained speechless.

"So, new friend, what might we call you?" Starfire smiled so big her face seemed larger. Her Titan friends were also interested in the identity of their present companion.

"Well, I know that you all are the Teen Titans, but you guys can just call me Ace." He put his hands in the pockets of his coat.

"Ace, huh?" Beast Boy puffed out his chest, trying to seem bigger. He was several inches shorter than Ace, and less than muscular in comparison, though it was hard to tell with the oversized jacket. "Well, maybe we could see you around town sometime, you like pizza?"

"Of course I like pizza!" Ace clutched is stomach at the thought of food. "I haven't had it for a while though, don't really have the cash, if you catch my drift."

"Oh," said Beast Boy, disappointed.

"Well that won't be a problem," Cyborg cut in. "You can eat pizza with us sometime then, where are you staying? We could meet you somewhere close to your place." Starfire grinned at the thought of her mustard-topped pizza. She nodded violently, agreeing with her fellow Titans.

"I'm not really staying anywhere actually," Ace looked down. "I kind of just…hang out." Raven looked at him. "So, thanks guys, but I doubt I can. Cool meeting you all though." Robin feared what came next.

"Oh, please friend! You must stay with us at our tower of the Titans," Starfire suggested a mutual proposal amongst her friends. Robin kept silent. Raven smiled briefly at the thought. "Perhaps for just one journey to a parlor of pizza?" Starfire clapped her hands together, asking sincerely.

Ace smiled. He looked to Raven for approval. She didn't move. He frowned.

"Well... sorry guys, I don't think I can…" Ace still looked at Raven. She turned her head to the side slightly, breaking their visual connection.

"Maybe just one slice?" It was the first time Raven spoke, the first words she said to the person that she was so desperately trying to figure out. Robin did not object to anything.

"Sure thing," said Ace, happy at Raven's approval. "I just don't want to intrude or anything…" But Ace was grabbed by his new friends and dragged to Titans Tower. Raven followed behind the group, eventually catching up to Ace, walking directly by his side.

Robin looked at Dr. Light, lying unconscious on the ground. He picked up the Ace of Spades that was still piercing Dr. Light's power suit. Robin tucked the card away and slowly walked back to Titan's Tower.

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OKAY OKAY! I hoped you liked it! And yeah, "why would the teen titans just invite a stranger into their house", right? Hello, Terra, much? Robin had a bad feeling about her too, so yeah. I'm not hating on Terra, im just using her as an example, i just needed ace to get into Titans Tower. r&r.

thanks to you

(do you know who ms swan is from mad tv? well, "thanks to you" is from that, you should watch it) haha


	3. a room nonetheless

i dont own teen titans. this chapter is redundant and predictable, but like chapter 2 it sets the scene. read it please, review please!

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**Cyborg **entered the pin number for Titan's Tower, letting the group in.

"Yep, this is our crib," he bragged to Ace. "Built the security system myself." The group walked down an empty hallway. Ace turned his head to look at everything.

"Wow, impressive," said Ace, running his hand along the wall as they entered the living room. As soon as the door behind them closed Ace's face lit up upon seeing out the massive window. "This is such a great view, it's awesome!"

Beast Boy grinned. "Yeah, yeah, view-shmiew. Check this out!" The changeling picked up a remote after jumping onto the couch. He pressed a large red button. The starry night scene visible from the windows was soon replaced by pixels of a blue-ish screen reading _Gamestation_.

"No…way…" Ace jumped over onto the couch joining Beast Boy. They both grabbed controllers and began duking it out on a racing game. Cyborg didn't want to be left out. He joined the other two in their race. Robin walked in. Raven and Starfire turned around.

"So… _TEAM_…" he began, looking at Ace kicking Cyborg and Beast Boy's butt. "Have we decided when the pizza will be delivered? We don't want to eat too late, training is tomorrow morning." Ace pushed pause, and the other two looked at the leader.

"Dude, it's too late to eat now," complained Beast Boy. "Let's get pizza after training tomorrow." Cyborg nodded in agreement.

"It's almost midnight," he said. "What time is practice?" Robin didn't think before answering.

"0600" he said. "We should all get some rest." Beast Boy threw down the controller and frowned.

"Why does it have to be so early?" Beast Boy pulled on his eyelids at the thought of getting wrinkles. "UUGGHH! How am I ever going to get my beauty rest?"

"Beast Boy, everyone has to do it. Get over yourself." Raven slapped his head as she walked by. She stood next to Ace, who was still sitting on the couch.

"Perhaps our new companion wishes to join the Titans in the practice for combat?" asked Starfire. Ace looked around at his peers, who did not have any objections.

"Yeah, sure," said Ace. "Sounds like fun." Robin scoffed at Ace's last remark.

"We'll see about that," he said. "I'd like to see what else you can do, if you're up to it." Ace stood up and stretched.

"Of course," he yawned. Raven noticed his fatigue.

"Why don't we get you a room for now," she said. Robin spoke up.

"You know," he began, "I think we have a spare room somewhere on the top floor. It's a bit small and underdeveloped, but it's a room, nonetheless." Robin started walking to the door.

"Sounds good, thanks," said Ace. He followed the Titan leader with the other four following closely behind.

Underdeveloped was right, as well as being a "room, nonetheless". When they reached what was to be Ace's room, Raven's jaw dropped. The door didn't slide open like the other rooms, the inside was bare, and the lights didn't work properly. One of the bulbs flickered on and off every time someone walked by. There was a bed and several dressers stacked up along the walls. Ace suspected that this place was never thought of as being a bedroom, just a place to store furniture. Starfire coughed at the dust they were kicking up.

"Wow," said Beast Boy. "It looks like you'll be doing some major remodeling before wanting to hang out in here." He ran his forefinger along a dresser. The tip of his glove turned black. He wiped it on Raven's cloak, who responded with another slap on the head.

"Thanks a lot everyone," Ace said as sincerely as he could. He was going to act as grateful as he could.

"No problem," said Robin. "We'll see you on the practice field at 6 am sharp." Robin led his team out of Ace's room.

"Uh, Robin, don't you think he could get a better…" Cyborg was cut off as Robin slammed Ace's door shut. He stood alone in his room for a few moments before he heard a knock at his door. He opened it to reveal Raven standing in the doorway.

"Hi."

"Hey."

"Um, did you want a different room? I'm sure there's one around here somewhere that's better than this place," she suggested. He smiled.

"I'm good, but thanks," replied Ace. "I'll tidy up this room just enough to go to sleep tonight. I don't think I can stay for any longer than a night or two." He sat down on the bed and she leaned against a dresser.

"How come?"

"I just… don't really like staying in one place for too long."

"It's only for a few days, its not like you'll get to live here…" she trailed off at the thought. She regretted saying it.

"I meant I don't like getting… I don't want to get attached to anything… to anyone." He leaned forward and whispered to himself: "Just makes it harder to let go when you have to leave."

"You have to leave?" Her tone was more curious than disappointed. Naturally, she wanted to know more.

"It's complicated, really." He said. "There is no point in explaining things which people refuse to understand."

"I know what you're saying, but to me, it's not worth running away from. Everything I've been through, moving around doesn't make it any better."

Ace stared into her eyes, her logic was unavoidable. "Every time I leave one place, I go somewhere that I've never been. I hope that there are people there, different people, who can actually…_comprehend_ what I say. Nobody gets it."

"Like your poetry?" Raven asked, half smiling.

"Well," he said, crossing his arms while still being amused, "I think you understood it. Others can try and hear it, but you're probably the only one who actually listens."

"To tell you the truth, I didn't fully understand it. I was listening, trying to figure out who you were talking about, who you were talking to."

"Hah, I thought it was obvious," he laughed, "that I was talking about you." Raven knew this, but she did not know the relevance of his words.

"But how does the poetry relate to me? I don't understand how or why I'm connected to it, to you."

"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough, don't worry," he said. "Look at us, speaking like we've known each other from somewhere else, from before…" He stopped abruptly. Ace got up from the bed. He looked around the room with skeptical eyes. He walked over to the wall next to the door and put a hand on it. "Close your eyes." She did.

A black essence extended from his fingers and five lines of energy ran across the walls, floor, ceiling, and furniture of the small room. After the lines connected with each other, the empty spaces were engulfed with the energy. The entire room soon turned black. Ace took his hand off the wall and outstretched it to the center of the room. A small chunk of metal dropped into his hand. She opened her eyes. Raven stepped next to him and looked at the discovery.

"What is that?" she asked. Ace held it up parallel to his eyes.

"We were being watched. Or at least listened to."

"Why would anyone listen in on our conversation?" Raven had an idea of who would, but didn't say anymore.

Ace cleared his voice. He had swept his room clean of filth when finding the microscopic listening device. The furniture seemed cleaner.

"Well, I think I could fix up this room just enough for my stay," he said. "I'll let you go now, thanks for the company." Ace led her out of the room with his hand on her shoulder.

"So, I'll see you in the morning?"

"Of course."

Ace watched her phase through the floor into her own room, and he shut his door. He looked around the small room with a frown.

"Time to fix this place up."

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Yeah okay, end of chapter three, lame I know, but like chapter 2 it just set the scene. R&R and keep reading! 


	4. a glorious day is it not?

i know that i dont wown the teen titans. etc. and so here's chapter four. its short. beware.**  
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**Ace** did not wake up early the next morning. Well, early compared to the Titans. He had set his alarm for 5:00 a.m. but woke up fifty-seven minutes later. Raven was standing at his door.

"Um, Ace?" she asked, gently knocking. He jumped straight up.

"Raven? Ye-yeah?" he tried to stifle a yawn but could barely hold it in. He ended up coughing instead.

"Practice starts in two and a half minutes, are you coming?" She pressed her ear to the door, trying to hear a response.

Ace quickly ripped the covers off and stood in front of the closed door. He brought his hands up over his head and quickly slid them down the front of his body. His regular clothes appeared instantly following the movement of his hands. He tapped his feet on the ground, one at a time, and his shoes appeared. Ace pulled his square glasses from out of his pocket and slid them on over his nose. He bent down to tie his shoes, opening the door just as Raven was going to knock again. She jumped back, staring at him tying his shoe. He lifted himself up using his knee.

"Ready." He said smiling. She gave him an amused look.

Ace grabbed Raven's opposite shoulder from behind and shimmered out of the hall way, ending up at the practice field, entering in the same fashion as he left. As soon as they appeared, Raven fell to the ground on her hands and knees. Her face was towards the ground and she breathed heavily.

"Please…don't… do that again." She sucked in some air and slowly got up.

"Sorry about that, I didn't know…" Ace gave a hand to Raven, helping her off of the ground.

"It's fine." She said, out of breath. "C'mon, I think we might be late."

In a turn of events, they were not late. In fact, it was 5:59 a.m. and Cyborg and Starfire were both coming towards the two. Beast Boy was trailing behind, yawning widely.

"Good morning new friend Ace whom I am most grateful to be here!" said Starfire excitedly. "What a glorious day to be practicing for combat, is it not?"

"It is most definitely NOT!" said Beast Boy, rubbing his eyes furiously. "The sun is barely out and Robin's already got us up and training." Cyborg patted Beast Boy on the back, making the changeling fall over with the sudden impact. He brushed himself off.

"Hey there Ace," said Cyborg warmly, "Ready to get your butt kicked on the obstacle course today?" Ace laughed hysterically inside at the thought, but simply chuckled.

"Hah, I hope not! I think I'll do okay."

"Hah, yeah right, dude," said Beast Boy, grinning. "If you have any luck, you'll run the obstacle course against Starfire, who will probably blow up the entire thing trying to figure out how it works." Ace laughed and checked is watch.

"Um, where's Robin?" he asked. He looked over his shoulder to see Robin racing towards them on the R-Cycle. He skidded to a stop, forcing a cloud of dust whooshing past Ace. He didn't move.

"Sorry I'm late guys," said Robin, taking off his helmet, "I was just finishing up the modifications to the obstacle course." Cyborg grinned at Robin, who said: "Check it out." Robin pressed a small button on his R-Cycle. The rocky obstacle course lost the metal machines and robotic lasers so that it only had the boulders blocking a clear path.

Raven and Starfire both had the same confused look upon their faces. Raven opened her mouth to speak. "Uh…"

Right then the remaining rocks moved, spreading out in a swerving shaped, parallel on each side.

"Cyborg and I have been working on a race course for a while now, and we finally got it working. I think the T-Car and the R-Cycle have been long past due for a race." Beast Boy left his mouth gaping open.

"Hey, I thought we were gonna race after the B-Ped is all fixed up!" Beast Boy frowned at the thought of his beloved moped, still mangled from when The Source tried to take over the Earth.

"C'mon B. You know I was going to have to fix it for you anyways, I'll get to it," said Cyborg, reassuring the distraught Titan, "…Eventually."

"Whoa," said Ace, half smiling, "I wouldn't mind racing you guys sometime." Robin looked up from previously staring at the controls on his R-Cycle. "Of course, I'd have to get my car, and then find someway to get it onto this island…"

"No way…" Beast Boy began. "You drive too? Man! That makes everyone but me! If only the B-Ped was ready, I could take ALL of you on…" He made circles in the dirt with his index finger.

"Beast Boy, the Tidwell 3000 goes at 35 miles per hour. Without traffic. I doubt you could take anyone on." Raven stared blankly at Beast Boy. He ignored her words and continued to daydream about his forgotten moped.

"Well, until then," said Cyborg, "How 'bout some practice?" He tilted his neck to the left and to the right, making cracking noises and sounds of his gears shifting. He stretched out his arms.

"Okay," replied Robin, "Stand back." He pressed the button on his R-Cycle again and the lasers and robotic obstacles reappeared.

Robin and Raven took their places at the control panel as Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy and Ace remained on the ground level.

"So," began Cyborg, "Who's first?"

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So yeah it was short and all, but i thought it would be fitting to leave the actual obstacle course scene to another chapter. the next chapter. so r&r por favor 


	5. anything goes

here you go guys, chapter five! thanks to everyone who reviewed, keep it up!!!!

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"**That's me,"** said Beast Boy with a grin. "I'll go first." He pulled up his pants and stomped over to the beginning of the track.

"Yes, Beast Boy," said Starfire. "Please, Kick the Butt! Victory awaits you at the line of finishing!"

"Go get em' B," said Cyborg. Beast Boy gave him a high five and outstretched his hands in front of him, cracking his knuckles.

"Hah! Peace of cake. I'll take this course faster than you can say 'tofu dogs rock'!" yelled Beast Boy as he approached the starting line.

"Nobody **wants** to say it," said Raven flatly. Ace smiled at her remark. He seemed amused at everything she had to say.

"Okay Beast Boy," said Robin, his finger on the starting button, "Ready or not, here we go!"

"I was born ready." Beast Boy's last comment was drowned out by the buzzer and he took off. He ran towards the first obstacle: a giant guillotine-looking contraption. It slammed down to the ground twice every three seconds. He changed into a cheetah and made it through the first set of machines without smashing the tip of his tail.

"Whoa," exclaimed Ace, "That was a close one!"

"Beast Boy is most resilient," replied Starfire, "You need not worry!"

"Oh, hah, thanks," Ace turned his eyes back to the action, which had Beast Boy dodging multiple swinging metal clubs. The clubs were about two feet above the ground, and rotating at a constant, but not fast, speed. Beast Boy had transformed back into his human form by now and was jumping over the clubs less than gracefully. He stumbled over one side of the club, but as he was coming down the reverse end struck his back, sending him flying.

"Waaaaah!" He did a somersault in the air and came back down as a kangaroo. Beast Boy easily jumped over every other club coming his way. After jumping over the last swinging obstacle, Beat Boy changed back into a human. He ran towards the finish line.

"Whoo!" shouted Cyborg. "Yeah! Go B.B.!" Beast Boy turned back and waved to his friends with a huge grin on his face. He ran straight into a pillar that shot out of the ground.

"Ooof!" He rubbed his nose as more pillars came out of the ground around him. Beast Boy quickly changed into a pterodactyl and flew out of the way of several others. He soared around them before losing balance, and he spiraled down to the ground. Before he landed on the dirt beneath him, a giant pillar caught him and he fought against gravity to pull himself up. He leaped off of the pillar at twenty feet up, switching into a small bird before he landed. Rocks that were spread out in front of him produced lasers and began firing directly at the Titan.

"C'mon Beast Boy!" shouted Robin. "Just a little bit farther!" Ace looked up at Robin, who looked down at him. Ace turned away coldly; Robin gritted his teeth. He didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling about Ace. 'Untrustworthy' was the only phrase he could think of to describe the new comer. He vividly recalled when Ace blew off Dr. Light's arm, and shook off the cold sweat dripping down his neck. Robin averted his attention back to Beast Boy, who had by then switched into a stegosaurus, swishing his tail and spinning quickly to knock the lasers from their rock-hiding place.

Beast Boy crossed the finish line at three minutes and twelve seconds.

"Alright Beast Boy!" shouted Ace, clapping his hands, "Nice run!" The Titans joined in praising their fellow Titan.

"Yes, marvelous Beast Boy!" said Starfire. "Though I cannot imagine how fatigued you may feel."

"Whew!" he gasped out after collapsing to the ground, "That was crazy! What was my time?" Beast Boy sat up to listen.

"Three-twelve Beast Boy. Not bad." The Titan Leader seemed pleased. Robin turned to Ace, who was helping Beast Boy up from off the ground. "You ready?"

"Guess so." He replied. Ace took off his glasses and put them in his breast-pocket. He looked at Cyborg. "So, where do I start?"

"Just past the control stand over there," said Cyborg, pointing, "But… hold up." Ace stopped his trot towards the starting line.

"Yeah?"

"You drive right? How about we race?" said Cyborg with hopeful eyes.

"Well, my car isn't here right now, so I don't know when I'll be able to get it over." Ace scratched his head.

"No problem, we can get it over here in no time!" said Beast Boy, hoping for a chance to drive the T-Car.

"Uh…" said Ace quietly, pondering the thought of getting his car onto the island and racing against a Titan vehicle.

"Tell you what," said Cyborg, cutting off the awkward pauses, "We'll race each other on the obstacle course, just you and me. If I win, you have to race me, my T-Car against your… car."

"And if Ace wins?" asked Raven, wondering how well Ace would fare against Cyborg.

"If Ace wins, he can become a Teen Titan." Cyborg grinned confidently while Robin wondered otherwise.

"Now hold on there Cy," he said hesitantly, "How about if he wins, he'll get the chance to maybe try out to be a Titan."

"Yeah, okay then," replied Cyborg, reassured now that his consequences would not be as harsh. "After all, it's not everyday that people can try out to become a Teen Titan."

"What an honor," said Raven sarcastically. Ace looked at her, amused.

"Sure, that sounds like a good plan," he said, "Okay."

"Good. How 'bout we get started then?" Robin placed his finger on the big red button that would initiate "go". Cyborg and Ace shook hands after approaching the starting line.

"Just gotta let you know, man," started Cyborg, "I'm pretty competitive. Maybe not as much as Robin, but I'm going to lose."

"Heh, Well, I'm willing to do anything to win. Watch your back, because things could get rough." Ace put his foot on the starting line.

"In that case, anything goes," Cyborg said.

"Okay," said Ace, his fingers itching to begin, "But remember, you're the one who said it."

Robin pressed the big red button. "Go!" he yelled, and Cyborg pushed off with all of his speed. Ace jumped up and smashed his feet into the dirt with much force. A boulder rose up in a yellow glow and he swung his arms to the right, the massive rock following. It caught Cyborg off guard and hit him full on. Cyborg was struck while he was taking off, sending him several yards to the side. Ace sprinted off, leaving Cyborg in the dust.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Beast Boy, shocked, "That was a cheap shot!" The familiar sight left him curious and speechless afterwards.

Cyborg quickly jumped up, half stunned, and chased after his opponent, who by now had reached the enormous guillotine machines. Ace skidded to a stop before one of the giant contraptions.

"C'mon Cyborg!" he teased, "Anything goes right?" Ace grinned at his foe, before hopping backwards and turning around, jumping just before the guillotine struck. Cyborg gritted his teeth and changed his arm into the powerful sonic cannon. He watched Ace closely, in between the guillotine's poundings. He waited twice every three seconds, when he could not see him, and took aim.

"That's right," he said squinting, "Anything goes." Cyborg shot his powerful cannon while still in stride. Ace quickly turned around in a surprised stance, but before the blast could hit, he phased through the ground, dodging Cyborg's attack.

"Um, where did he go?" asked Raven curiously. He had phased through the ground like he did in the Tower just a while ago.

"I do not know," replied Starfire, "Perhaps he is playing the "hide and seek"?"

"I doubt it Starfire," said Robin, checking his controls, "The sensors can't pick up any signs of movement, and can't tell where he went."

But Raven could. She felt his presence not to far from the surface. She wondered when he would come back up.

"Yo, Ace!" yelled Cyborg, agitated, "We're not done yet, come back out here!" Cyborg walked slowly through the course, jumping out of the way when a guillotine came crashing down. He passed through a second guillotine and had already timed the jump for the third. He jumped to go through, but Ace quickly resurfaced, stopping Cyborg's jump mid air. Ace grinned.

"Huh?" Cyborg was unaware why his opponent was smiling, but Robin could tell.

"Cyborg! Move!" he yelled, but it was too late. The massive guillotine slammed down on Cyborg, who had been stopped by Ace directly beneath the blade-like machine. Cyborg reacted quickly, lifting his arms to catch the large metal plate before it could crush him completely. He was brought to his knees, holding up the "blade" and trying to summon the strength to jump through. He could not.

"Argggh!" groaned Cyborg, slowly trying to get to his feet. His teammates cheered.

"Yeah! Way to go Cy!" yelled Beast Boy, pumping his arms into the air.

Cyborg lifted the device high enough for him to jump through. He landed on his stomach and jumped back up as fast as he could. Ace was already doing front-flips over the swinging clubs. Cyborg grinded his teeth together, disappointed in himself. But he continued and was only a few swings away from Ace.

Ace had jumped over several swinging clubs when Cyborg shot out his sonic cannon, catching Ace off guard. He quickly slid underneath one of the clubs, and spun himself up onto it. Ace crouched on the swinging machine, trying to keep his balance gracefully. Cyborg jumped over several clubs, shooting his cannon at Ace whenever possible. Ace jumped from swinging contraption to swinging contraption, dodging all of Cyborg's attacks. Ace made it past the clubs, and was now staring at his opponent struggling to get through. Cyborg dove underneath the last set of clubs and rolled out unharmed. He ran at Ace who was jogging towards the finish lines. Cyborg grinned.

"Bet you forgot about one small detail, man!" he yelled out, still running.

"Oh?" replied Ace with a smirk, "What's that?" Ace continued running when a pillar shot out of the ground where he was standing. It threw him several yards into the air, and he landed hard, skidding to a stop on the ground.

"That!" yelled Cyborg in return.

Ace got up slowly, and Cyborg was ready and aimed. He shot out a blast of blue energy and it hit Ace with full force. As Ace struggled to catch his breath, Cyborg sped past him, dodging multiple pillars as they shot out from the ground. Ace got up. He waited for three seconds exactly, and ran full speed towards Cyborg. A pillar shot out of the ground where Ace was running. It launched him high in the air, going several yards and heading towards Cyborg. He put his arms to his side, accelerating himself. Even as he gained speed, he slowly descended, and he reached out his arms. He caught Cyborg and tackled him as if he were tackling the quarterback of a football game. The two slid across the ground, Cyborg on the bottom, creating sparks across the floor. Ace grabbed the upper part of Cyborg's arms, pinning the half-robot down with surprising strength.

"They are really going at it," said Raven, slightly worried about her fellow Titan's safety.

"Yeah," agreed Beast Boy, "and they're almost to the end. I wonder who'll win."

"I do not wish to harm the feelings of our new companion," said Starfire in an innocent voice. "But I am hoping for Cyborg to be victorious."

"Me too, Star," said Robin. "I just hope Cyborg knows what he's doing." Robin feared for Cyborg, deep down knowing that Ace would be the one victorious.

As Ace pinned Cyborg's entire body down, they slowly stopped in the middle of the laser-battlefield. Blasts hit Ace and Cyborg every other moment, but neither of them let go. Cyborg managed to free his arm, and tried to shoot a sonic blast at Ace. He easily dodged it, and a playing card slid out of his right sleeve into his right palm. Ace slammed the card into Cyborg, and the card fused with his circuits.

"What's he…" began Raven, but a blast coming from Cyborg stopped her words. The playing card had exploded within Cyborg, and it shot him over twenty yards and across the finish line. Ace trotted across the line as well, following Cyborg's trial, but still in second place.

* * *

well, the next chapter is coming, so please r&r. uhm, what else.. oh yeah i dont own the titans. yeah.

thanks to you!


	6. round two

okay so this is the next chapter. im kinda straying from my original ideas but i still hope you like it! r&r!!

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"Hmm," he said, slightly smiling, "I guess you won Cy. Good job." Ace reached a hand out to Cyborg, who reluctantly took it and got up. "Hey, anything goes right?"

Cyborg glared at Ace. "Yeah, right," he said shortly. Cyborg walked towards his speechless teammates. He sat on the dirt and began "fixing" himself with his torch-finger. Beast Boy broke the silence.

"Heh, way to go Cy, you won," he said. Cyborg didn't look up. "Yeahh… I'm gonna go away now." Beast Boy turned into a turtle and hid inside his shell. Robin and Raven stepped down from the control panels and walked towards Cyborg.

"Good job Cyborg, but did you want me to race for you?" asked Robin earnestly, "I mean you…did….win after all." Cyborg picked himself up and dusted off his arms and legs before speaking.

"No thanks Robin," he said, "I'm about to open a can of butt-whoop on him, so you'd better stand back." Robin grinned and slammed is fist into his palm.

"Go get him Cyborg," he said, and walked to the R-Cycle and pressed the button, transforming the terrain.

"Ready for round two, Ace?" taunted Cyborg, "My baby just got upgraded." Cyborg pressed a button located on his arm and the T-Car zoomed out from what seemed like nowhere, skidding to a stop in front of Ace. Ace jumped back.

"Impressive," he said, "Though, I didn't know you drive a mini-van" Cyborg fumed.

"We'll see who's laughing after our race!" Cyborg jumped into the T-Car strapped on his seatbelt and revved up the engine.

"Uh, I thought Ace's car was supposed to be transported here before we race," said Raven, observantly. Cyborg popped his head out of his car window.

"Oh, heh," he stuttered, "Yeah…"

"No problem," said Ace reassuringly, "I'll be right back." With that the mysterious teen phased through the ground. It was silent for all of ten seconds. Beast Boy looked at Starfire, who looked at the Titans leader, who looked at Raven, who had a blank expression on her face. Cyborg sat in the T-Car still, his hands turning around on the steering wheel, tempted to honk the horn.

"Ugh," sighed Raven. Just then Ace resurfaced, dusted off his trench-coat and walked towards Cyborg, who looked perplexed.

"Dude," cut in Beast Boy, "Where's your car?"

"Glad you asked," said Ace smiling, "Look." A loud rev could be heard, and an onyx-black car zoomed from over the tower and slammed right in front of Ace's feet. It was a short and slender car with two racing style seats and was significantly lowered.

"What a rice-rocket," said Raven flatly, yet slightly impressed. Beast Boy was mesmerized.

"Aww come on Raven!" said Beast Boy excitedly, "You know you wanna take a spin in it." Beast Boy stared at the chrome rims and the automatically opening doors. This gave Ace an idea.

"Hey, Cyborg," he called, "How about we each take a passenger?" Cyborg stopped his car engine.

"Ooh!" yelled Beast Boy, "I call shotgun in Ace's car!" Ace grinned while Cyborg smirked as well.

"Fine by me," said Cyborg, "Robin, you coming with me?"

"Yeah," he replied, "Star, Raven, can you handle the controls?"

"No," stated Raven sarcastically.

"Yes, of course Robin!" yelled Starfire, despite her teammate's response, "Proceed with the vehicular racing!"

"Alright!" said Ace confidently. "So hold up a sec." Cyborg stopped in front of Ace.

"What's up now?" he asked.

"Let's make another deal," proposed Ace, "If I win, I want a permanent room in Titan's tower, but away from the rest of you. No strings attached either. I don't want to have to go on missions or anything."

"Well, how about you get the room you're already in," said Robin, "Just keep that one instead of moving down the hall or anything." Ace nodded.

"Fine by me," he said, "So what do you guys want if I just so happen to lose?"

Robin had an idea. "For starters, I want a little background info on you. I think could work our way on from there."

"Okay then, let's go!" Ace pressed the soft keys on his keychain and both the driver's door and the passenger door opened. Beast Boy eagerly got in and pulled his seatbelt over his chest. Robin and Cyborg entered the T-Car, started the engine, and drove up to the starting line. Ace started the car and shifted into first gear, the car rumbling with every tap of the clutch. Beast Boy was trembling with excitement.

"Ready?" called Raven from the control stand, "I'm starting the countdown now." She looked over at Ace. He winked at her and rolled up his window. She smiled and pressed the button, which activated a holographic countdown from ten. Starfire gleefully counted down.

"Ten!"

"Ready Beast Boy?" said Ace, looking at his excited friend.

"Nine!"

"Oh yeah!" said Beast Boy grinning, "We're gonna smoke them right?"

"Eight!"

"Please," retorted Ace, "Sorry to burst Cy's bubble, but I'm sure my car is equipped well enough to take on some supped up van."

"Seven!"

"We'd better win Cyborg," said Robin, "Beast Boy seems pretty confident, look how they're laughing."

"Six!"

"Yeah," replied Cyborg, "You'd think they're best friends, when we've only met like… yesterday!"

"Five!"

"Seriously though, Cyborg, I hope you have a plan B in case this turns out weird."

"Four!"

"Oh-ho," chuckled the robot evilly, "I do…"

Raven grew tired of waiting. "Three, two, one!" she called out, pressing the start button. The hologram flashed "go" and Cyborg slammed on the gas pedal. Ace pressed the clutch, shifted into second gear, and pressed the gas pedal. The two cars were off.

* * *

okay so that was the chapter, race is coming up, r&r please! 


	7. cars, races, etc

sorry for the wait, writer's block attack, no time, etc. hope you like it! r&r!!!**  
**

* * *

**Ace and Beast Boy **were pinned back to their seats as Ace slammed on the gas and sped off, with Cyborg and Robin trailing only inches behind.

"Argh!" growled Robin, slamming his fists on the dashboard, "C'mon Cyborg, I thought you were going to really open her up!" Cyborg growled back.

"Robin, CHILL." Cyborg steadied his hands on the wheel, which had been trembling from the excitement, "I've got this."

The two cars raced past Raven and Starfire, who watched in awe. Ace's sleek racing car was so low to the ground that the two female Titans could not feel the dirt and rocks that came with the rushing wind following the vehicle. The T-Car however, going at about 130 miles per hour, still trailing Ace and Beast Boy, and forcing a massive cloud of dirt flying at Raven and Starfire was still only inches behind Ace. Raven produced a shield of black energy and protected her companion along with herself.

"WAHOO!" shouted Beast Boy with his head out of the window, looking back at the T-Car that was swerving furiously trying to get ahead. "Eat our dust!" Beast Boy tucked his head back into the car and Ace turned to his passenger for a quick grin.

"Dude," said Ace, picking up on Beast Boy and Cyborg's lingo, "Where's Cy and Robin?" Ace checked his mirror and saw the T-Car trailing behind further than before. Beast Boy checked his mirror as well.

"What's going on? How come they stopped going as fast?" Beast Boy's confusion was contagious, because Ace was bewildered as well.

"Cyborg! What's going on, we're slowing down!" yelled Robin furiously. Cyborg squeezed the steering wheel so hard there was an indentation.

"I know! I know! We're slowing down but I can't figure out why!" The half-robot quickly pressed several buttons on the dashboard and a screen popped up. "Robin, I need you to check the central system. If there's nothing wrong run a full body scan and hopefully we'll figure it out before it's too late." Robin obeyed.

"Don't even_ suggest_ that we could _possibly_ lose," spat the Titan leader through his teeth. A picture popped up on the screen with an outline of the T-Car on it. The front part of the car was outlined in red and flashing.

"I think I found the problem," said Robin, "Here." He pointed to the picture. Cyborg quickly pressed the screen several times, which enlarged the image. He held his finger over the outlined area and the screen beeped.

"Okay, I've reset the major engine malfunctions, so we should be good to go right about… NOW!" Just as Cyborg completed his analysis, the engine kicked in and the T-Car sped up ten-fold. The two Titans were pinned back against their seats and Cyborg's eyes began to water.

"Woo! Now that's what I'm talking about!" yelled the ecstatic Robin. "Way to go Cyborg!"

"Oh yeah," said Cyborg in return, "Don't stop me now Robin, don't let me stop!" Cyborg gripped the steering wheel and slammed on the gas pedal. The two Titans were catching up to Ace and Beast Boy.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Beast Boy, "Check out Cy and Robin! The T-Car just got a major boost!" Beast Boy stared into the mirror, looking at the T-Car catching up. Ace checked his mirror briefly before steering into Cyborg's path. Robin glared as Ace nearly caused the T-Car to collide into the back of his car. Cyborg ground his teeth as he swerved left and right trying to pass his opponent. The two cars made their first complete round around the track, without crashing into any rocks, lasers, or each other.

"Well," began Raven, "They made it through the first lap, with Ace still in the lead."

"Yes, but how many more laps must they endure?" asked Starfire. "I do not remember a set amount."

"You're right Starfire," replied Raven, "I guess it'll be the last man standing."

"This is what I fear." Starfire shook her head at looked back at the boys in the race.

Ace and Beast Boy were more thrilled than anything, sitting in Ace's sleek racing car with the windows down and the wind blowing in their faces. Beast Boy was acting like he and Ace were on vacation, with an enormous grin on his face. He pressed the two window buttons located in between the two of them (beneath the gear shift) and held them up, rolling up the tinted windows so nothing could be seen inside from the outside. Cyborg had, in the meantime, caught up with Ace's car, and was side by side for only a brief moment. As the two cars were parallel, Beast Boy rolled up the windows, and Ace gave a teasing wave to Robin, whose window was adjacent to his opponent's. Robin growled. The T-Car suddenly picked up massive disturbances coming from Ace's car. Robin pressed a button on the panel in front of him and an outline of Ace's car appeared. It was glowing red and there were multiple warnings signs surrounding the image.

"Hey Cyborg," asked Robin, "Check this out. What does this mean?" The half-robot peeled his eyes away from the road for a moment to look at what Robin discovered.

"I'm not sure," replied Cyborg, "But whatever it is it can't be good. His car is… rumbling, and it looks pretty unstable." Robin rolled down his window and stuck his head out to look at the situation closer.

"Dude!" Beast Boy had squealed, checking out Ace's speakers which were stationed behind the two racing seats, "Lemme hear your sound system!"

"Sure thing," he replied, pushing a round button on the stereo controls. A small compartment opened, unfolding a panel of buttons. "Try 'er out."

Beast Boy pressed one button and sound exploded from behind them. His hair blew forward and when they adjusted to the massive sound waves it was in a small afro. He spotted the T-Car's window rolling down and Robin's head popped out. Robin eyed Beast Boy suspiciously, laughing to himself at his friend's hair-do.

Ace rounded at corner, finishing his second lap, still only a few feet ahead of Cyborg. As soon as Cyborg passed the line, Raven pressed an orange button on the control panel. Starfire looked confused.

"Please, what are you doing now Raven?" she asked, "Are you perhaps altering the competition between our friends?"

"Yes," stated Raven, "This is boring just watching them go around in circles." She pressed several more buttons and the lasers surrounding the track began to glow and rotate to the two cars still speeding around the track.

"Besides," she continued, "Robin told me to." Starfire smiled and watched as the T-Car and Ace's car weaved around the blasts from lasers.

Cyborg and Robin grinned as they watched the lasers come online and began to burst with energy. The T-Car maneuvered around blasts easily and was hardly affected by them when they actually did hit. Ace's car on the other hand, although also easily maneuvered, was taking much more damage from the blasts than the T-Car was.

"Whoa!" yelled Ace, barely dodging a powerful blasts from the lasers, "That was really close." Beast Boy's joy turned to nausea as Ace tried learning to swerve out of the way and still maintain the lead. This was more difficult than ever, and the T-Car gradually took the lead. Beast Boy gasped as Robin waved as they passed.

"Dude!" yelled the changeling, "Ace, c'mon they're ahead! They're ahead!"

"I'm trying!" he shouted back, frantically trying to shift gears and steer while dodging the blasts, "How come Cy's car deflects those blasts?" Beast Boy shrugged while tightening his seatbelt. The hood of Ace's car was hit, and a gaping hole created a whistling noise. Ace nearly died at the horrible sight.

"Normally, I'd say that it was all 'cause of my excellent wax job, but I'm too scared to say it right now," he replied while holding onto the dashboard as the car swerved. Ace turned off the music and pulled a switch under the stereo. He pushed the pedal to the floor and his car sped up tremendously and easily passed the T-Car. Robin looked out his window to see Beast Boy with his eyes closed and arms stretched out onto the dashboard, face against the window.

"Dude! What are you doing?" yelled Beast Boy, peeling his face off of the glass, "Your car won't protect us from the blasts! You'll blow us into a million pieces!"

"I know," replied Ace calmly. Beast Boy's face turned pale. "But I need your help." Beast Boy's face regained color, and grinned at what Ace was about to say.

"Tell me what to do cap'in!" he said with a salute.

"I've disengaged my gear shift," he began, "My car is no longer stick. Think you can handle it?" Beast Boy nearly fainted.

"Oh dude!" he shouted happily, "Yes, yes, yes! Wait a second…what are you gonna do?"

"Well," he said, "If you can drive this thing steady, I'll protect the car and we'll zoom around the track unharmed. Trade me seats." Beast Boy transformed into a fly and waited on the ceiling of the car while Ace hopped into the passenger side. The car lost all of its acceleration as his foot released the pedal, and slowed down so significantly that Cyborg passed them up. Robin and Cyborg looked at the black car that swerved and slowed down at the same time.

"Booyah!" shouted Cyborg as they passed.

"Uhm," began Robin, "Where's Beast Boy?" Cyborg looked over and shrugged.

"I dunno," he said, and stuck his head out the window to check. Ace was in the passenger seat and there appeared to be no driver. "Huh?" Robin looked out his window too. Ace smiled and Beast Boy turned into a human, strapped in his seatbelt, and took the wheel.

"You've got to be kidding me!" shouted Robin triumphantly. Cyborg was laughing hysterically.

"There is no way that little grass stain is gonna beat us!" he said to Robin.

Ace rolled down his window and placed his fingers on the roof of the car. A black essence came out of his fingers and engulfed his car. Blasts were deflected off of his car and actually redirected at the T-Car. The hole on the hood closed up and the whistling noise ceased. Cyborg swerved to dodge the blasts, for every single blast that shot out was going to his car now. Beast Boy took the lead and laughed maniacally at Robin, who frowned as slammed his fist into his palm. As both cars finished their third lap, Robin looked at Raven. He waved his hand in front of his throat, letting her know that he wanted her to kill the lasers and let them continue with a normal race. She did just that, pressing the orange button and allowing the lasers to be tucked back in to their rock-hiding places.

"Well that didn't work," grumbled Robin, "You'd better catch up to Beast Boy, you know he'd never let you live it down if he beast you in a race."

"Yeah," said Cyborg quietly, "But I can't figure out how to get ahead!"

"C'mon Cy," replied Robin angrily, "You're telling me Beast Boy is a better driver than you?" With that last comment Cyborg sped up, swerving frantically trying to get around Ace's car.

"Dang Beast Boy," said Ace, clearly impressed at Beast Boy's driving skills, "Where'd you learn to drive like that?" Ace removed his hand from the roof of the car now that the danger was gone, and the black essence faded.

"Heh," replied Beast Boy, "I guess I'm just a natural." Beast Boy and Ace approached a turn, with Cyborg right behind them.

"Alright," said Cyborg, with fire in his eyes, "This is my chance to get ahead. I'll cut inside and pass him up. He'll never know what hit him!" Cyborg cut inside, trying to squeeze past Beast Boy. Beast Boy jerked the steering wheel and caused Ace's car to spin. It spun 360 degrees, hitting the T-Car with the front bumper. This knocked out Cyborg's concentration, and he slowed down. Beast Boy regained control. Ace cheered as he saw the awesome lead they just took.

"That's right Cyborg!" shouted Beast Boy, "Who is laughing now, huh? Oh yeah, go Beast Boy, uh-huh!" Ace laughed as his companion cheered himself on. Robin was furious.

"I can not believe Beast Boy just outraced you," he said with his arms crossed.

"Beginner's luck," spat Cyborg, equally as angry.

"They've had enough luck," said Robin, and he pressed a round blue button on the control panel.

"What are you doing?" asked Cyborg, eyes still fixed on the road.

"Winning." Robin grinned evilly as a sonic cannon rose from the roof of the T-Car and shot a blast at Ace's car.

"Beast Boy, look out!" shouted Ace, who was lucky enough to spot the cannon in the mirror. Beast Boy turned back quickly to see, and dodged the blast.

"Robin!" shouted Cyborg, "Are you really going to cheat?"

"Anything goes right Cy?" he replied, pressing the button again. Cyborg swerved the car so the blast missed its target.

"We never said anything about weapons, Robin," shouted Cyborg.

"Exactly, now drive!" Robin rolled down his window and sat upon it. He reached into his utility belt and threw several birdarangs at Ace's car, which Beast Boy dodged. Ace looked at the weapons that pierced the ground and rolled down his window too. Ace waved his arm and a boulder was thrown at Robin directly. Cyborg dodged it and saved Robin's face from being smacked off.

"What are you doing!" shouted Cyborg, "Move next time, I've still gotta win this race!"

"Nice shot!" laughed Beast Boy, swerving slightly, only to prevent Cyborg from passing them up still.

"Thanks," replied Ace, frowning, "But I don't think we're done."

Robin threw an ice grenade and aimed it in front of Ace's car. Ace caught it in mid-air in a black essence, and threw it back at Robin. The grenade exploded Inches from Robin's face, causing the Titan leader to be thrown from the car.

"Robin!" shouted Cyborg, but not slowing down to help his ejected friend. Robin used his grapple-hook to latch onto the back of the T-Car, and was soaring from behind, dust and rocks flying in his face. Robin made his way back to the T-Car, and got onto the roof. He used his grapple hook again to latch on to Ace's car. Beast Boy shrieked as he looked out of his mirror at Robin.

"Dude!" he yelled, trying to shake Robin off, "What're you doing?!"

Cyborg frowned. "What is he doing?" he said to himself.

Ace, with his torso still out of the car, waved his arm, and pointed it at Robin.

"Get off my car," he said, and closed his hand into a fist, causing Robin's hook to shatter. He fell to the ground, directly in front of Cyborg. Cyborg spun the wheel to the left and ran into a wall of boulders, causing the rocks to land on top of his car. Beast Boy slammed on the brakes and Ace's car stopped with its side facing Robin and Cyborg. Beast Boy got out as Ace slid his way through the window.

"Nice driving!" said Ace, high-fiving Beast Boy as they walked to check on the other Titans.

"Thanks," replied Beast Boy, beaming, "Dude, your car is awesome!"

Raven and Starfire quickly flew over to check on their friends. Raven used he powers to dig Cyborg out of the rocks. Starfire went to Robin's side, and he brushed her away and rushed at Ace.

"What were you thinking?" he shouted at Ace, who was still smiling from his victory. Robin pushed Ace. He stumbled a few inches, but nothing more.

"Me?" shouted back Ace, now frowning, "I'm pretty sure YOU were the one who made the first shot."

"You've got to be kidding me!" yelled Robin, "I'm not standing here listening to this! You can't just throw me during a race!"

"Robin," cut in Beast Boy, "You started it. Ace can't help it if he beat you at your own game."

"You too?" Robin threw his hands into the air, "Beast Boy I can't believe this!"

"Robin, what are you talking about," said Raven, brushing herself off after helping Cyborg. "We all saw you shoot at Ace and Beast Boy, what are you trying to prove?"

"Yes Robin," said Starfire sadly, "Our friends speak the truth. Please, tell me what ails you."

"What ails me?" he shouted, taking out his Bo-staff, "Why are you taking his side? He obviously cheated, no other car can accelerate that fast, with Beast Boy as the driver, nonetheless! There's no way he should have won."

"Hey!" shouted Beast Boy, insulted.

"Robin," said Cyborg sadly, "It's over, we lost. C'mon, man, let's just go inside." Robin stopped and sighed. He looked at all of his friends. They seemed to all be staring him down, and he realized he was wrong.

"Fine." Robin gave Starfire a sad look, glared at Ace, and walked inside. Starfire followed.

"Great race you two," said Cyborg, still a little depressed, "I just can't believe I lost to Beast Boy though."

"Hah!" shouted Beast Boy happily, "Told ya I could drive! Now I should get to drive the T-Car whenever, right?"

"You wish, man!" Cyborg grinned, "But I guess we do still need to settle the bet."

"Forget it," said Ace, "It's all good. I just don't want Robin to be sour about it, you know?"

"Please," said Beast Boy, "He'll be over it in a couple of days. Robin's like that, mad one day, fine the next."

"No he's not," said Raven, "Are you joking? Robin is the only one of us who carries grudges. Ace, the only way he'll let it go is if he beats you at something."

"Oh boy," Ace said, smiling at Raven, "This'll be fun." With that the four teenagers walked into the Tower, happily chatting about the race.

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i dont know if it took too long to read, but it sure took forever to write :P 

next chapter up soon, i hope... please review!


	8. after the day

**sorry that it took like, 8 years to update. this chap has 0 action, but lots of info is revealed about ace if you can catch it! that's IF you catch it. if you don't, the next chapter will sum it up.**

**i dont own the titans  
**

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**Robin** stormed back inside of the tower and went straight for the elevator. He pressed the up button and waited impatiently for his ride to the third floor. Just as the elevator arrived, Starfire flew in and landed to Robin's left. The doors opened and he stepped inside, not taking notice of Starfire, who followed him in. The doors closed.

"Please Robin," she began, twiddling her fingers, "Tell me why you became upset out on the track of racing, I wish to help."

"Thanks, but its nothing," he replied. He leaned up against the wall and looked out of the small window that could see outside of the tower. The sun was bright in his eyes.

"Robin, I understand that you wish to be alone at the moment," said Starfire, "But I simply wish to know why it is that our new friend makes you so…" Robin looked up when she paused.

"So… what?"

"Angry."

Robin dropped his head. Starfire was right, but he couldn't tell her why he was feeling the way he did. The truth was that Robin only felt this way about one other person: Slade.

"Starfire, I'm fine," he assured, "I just… don't trust him." Starfire frowned at Robin.

"…yet," he added, trying to make her a little more comfortable. The elevator arrived at the third floor. Robin reached out his hand, telling Starfire to go through first. She did, and Robin began walking towards his room.

"You have comforted me Robin," said Starfire, "Even though that was what I had wanted to do for you." She grinned and Robin took her hand. They walked hand-in-hand until they reached the evidence room. The door slid open and he walked inside. Starfire followed.

"Robin," she began, "Why are we in the room of evidence?" She ran her hand along a table, cluttered with newspapers and trinkets of all sorts. Robin leaned over a table, staring at a cardboard box filled with multiple items.

"I need to figure some things out Starfire," he said, not moving his stare, "I'll talk to you later, okay?" She walked to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"You will?" she said doubtfully. He finally looked up, his eyes lingering on the box before he was in full view of her.

"Yes, Starfire, I will." Robin gave her a small smile. She quickly kissed his cheek and left the room, the door swooshing behind her.

Starfire stood outside of the evidence room for a few moments. 'Please do not do what I think you will Robin,' she said to herself, 'It will not turn out well if you do.' With that lasting thought, Starfire proceeded to the living room, rejoining her friends.

Robin regained his fixed glance at the box of Slade's belongings. He lifted up a round disc with Slade's signature 'S'. Robin ran his thumb over it before throwing down into the box out of frustration. He grabbed his hair and slammed a fist onto the desk, which seemed used to the poundings by now.

"Who is this guy?" he asked himself aloud. Robin searched his thoughts for an answer. He recalled the fist night they had met, and how he nearly destroyed Dr. Light. He recalled the playing cards, exploding upon impact, and his powerful blasts of green and blue energy. Robin shuddered as he recalled Ace and Cyborg's race on the obstacle course that morning. Ace's powers seemed unbeatable, and at the same time so familiar. Robin scratched his head, now with a slight bead of sweat running along his hairline. He straightened his back and walked towards the door. It opened and he stepped through, talking one last glance at the box until the door closed. Robin walked calmly to the elevator, pressed the down button and was surprised to find that the doors opened immediately. Someone else was on this floor.

"Hold the door!" came a voice, growing closer to Robin. He winced, and slowly turned around to see who it was.

"Dude," said Beast Boy, out of breath, "I totally had to pee. Let's go, I'm hungry!" Beast Boy jumped into the elevator and pressed the down button after Robin entered. They remained silent the ride down. The doors opened and Robin and Beast Boy stepped out, walked through another set of sliding doors, and arrived at where their friends had been. Ace was the first one to look up.

"'Sup," he said plainly. Beast Boy jumped onto the couch next to his racing buddy.

"Had to pee," he replied, stretching out his slightly muscular legs. "Turn on the T.V." Ace did that, and threw the remote to Beast Boy. He got up and walked to Cyborg, who was busy cooking a delicious looking steak.

"Dang!" exclaimed Ace, taking in the smell, "That smells so good!" Cyborg grinned proudly.

"Yep," he said patting his spatula like an obedient puppy, "It'll be done real soon, so y'all can just chill for a little while. And sorry bout the pizza, we wont be having it tonight." Cyborg whistled to himself as he flipped the meat. Ace looked around the room. Starfire was playing with the puppet-Starfire from the Puppet King, Beast Boy was watching a movie playing on T.V., and Robin had taken a seat on at the table, his hands folded. Ace wondered where Raven was, but decided to visit Robin.

"Hey," he said, walking towards the Boy Wonder, "Are we cool?" Ace looked sincerely at Robin, who looked up for a moment to reply.

"Yes." He said shortly. Ace took the hint and began to walk away.

"Okay, great," he said. Robin stood up.

"Look, Ace," said Robin, "We are cool. I just got a little carried away for some reason, but yeah, we're cool." Ace smiled.

"Thanks." And with that Ace walked to Beast Boy and flopped down on the couch. Just then Raven walked into the room. Ace immediately jumped up as she walked in, being chivalrous, and waited until she had taken a seat at the table before sitting back down.

"What was that for?" said Beast Boy curiously.

"Nothing really, just trying to be nice," replied Ace, stretching out his arms and placing them behind his head.

"How is that being nice?"

"It's called chivalry dude, kinda like respect for women and all." Cyborg looked up from his tender steak that was almost done.

"Then how come you didn't stand up when B.B. came in?" he said with a grin. Beast Boy's mouth gaped open and he lifted a finger to say something, but was cut off by Raven.

"So…" she began, stopping Beast Boy before he could say anything in reply to Cyborg's insult, "We're having steak tonight, and not pizza?" Starfire flew over to Raven excitedly, waving her arms, flailing the puppet around her head.

"Indeed," she said, "Cyborg has prepared a delicious feast or assorted meats for the victor of the race from earlier today!"

"Really…" said Raven, inspecting Cyborg's cooking with a hungry eye, "Then why isn't it all tofu?" Robin leaned back in his chair and laughed.

"Cyborg may still be a little sore from this afternoon," he said, getting up from his seat, "I thought I'd still be mad, but I'm pretty much okay now." He gave Ace a quick thumbs-up, who returned the gesture with a smile.

"Hey, man," said Cyborg, his back to the group, but still shaking the spatula at them, "If I was really mad I woulda brought the cow home and given you the liver and spleen as a congratulations gift." Beast Boy turned greener than usual, and faked a heart attack.

"Great Cyborg," said Raven sarcastically, "I'll be sure to give you a cow to hand over to Beast Boy one of these days."

"C'mon Rae," said Beast Boy in return, "You drink tea all day. You probably wouldn't care if we ate pizza 24/7 'cause you'd bring along a pot of tea." He laughed at his own joke and stared at Raven, waiting for a sarcastic remark.

"For your information Beast Boy," she retorted, "I actually eat pizza. I really do. Tea just calms my nerves, which helps me control my powers… something that's pretty hard to do because you're hanging around me all the time." Beast Boy grinned with pride. Knowing that she noticed him was good enough.

"Alright y'all!" said Cyborg, holding a metal tray, loaded with steaming meat. Beast Boy turned away. "Come and get it!" The five teens, minus Beast Boy, ran to the table and sat down, utensils in hand.

"Thanks a lot Cy," said Robin, mouth watering.

"Yes," continued Starfire, "It looks just like the milflanng beast on my home planet of Tameran."

"Uhm," began Ace, "I don't know what a 'milflanng beast' is, but this is the best looking dead cow I've ever seen." Beast Boy slowly dragged his feet to the table and sat down with his eyes closed. Cyborg put a warm plate in front of Beast Boy, whose eyes remained closed.

"Beast Boy," said Raven with a small smile, "Look." Although the changeling did not witness Raven smile, a rare feat in itself, he nearly fainted when he saw what was in front of him. Tofu.

"Wh-wh-what the… DUDE!" The largest grin imaginable appeared on Beast Boy's face as he stared at the most delicious looking tofu he had ever seen. His eyes began to dramatically water he put his head down on the table, slamming his fist and making crying noises.

"Thanks Cyborg," he said finally, wiping his eyes. "I'm going to go eat now." With that Beast Boy entered a feeding frenzy, shoveling handfuls of tofu down his throat. Raven put up her hood, blocking flying bits of tofu.

"Why did you do that Cyborg?" she asked. "I thought you hated tofu." Cyborg placed a large piece of steak on his own plate.

"'Cause," he replied happily, "He won the race, and I have to admit that he's a pretty good driver." All four sets of eyes looked at Cyborg who whistled away, serving meat on empty plates.

"This is so weird," said Robin, "Cyborg serving tofu… to Beast Boy!"

"Yeah," agreed Raven, "Cyborg, we may need to check your systems. This is kinda freaky."

"Agreed," said Starfire, "I shall escort you to the lab of medical functions and you shall no longer be feeling sick." Cyborg raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop.

"Really, guys," he said, "I'm actually proud of that little grass stain, why don't y'all just accept that and chow down on the real meal, the MEAT!" Smiles went around the table and everyone began eating the delicious meat ravenously. After everyone had their fill, including Beast Boy who had licked his own tofu-plate clean and Starfire with her five stomachs, the group sat on the couch to watch a movie.

"What'll it be guys?" asked Beast Boy, holding two DVD boxes in each of his hands, "_The Ring_ or _The Notebook_?" Starfire's eyes lit upon seeing her favorite romance story.

"Please!" she exclaimed, "We must watch The Notebook! It is my favorite!" Raven gave her friend a queer look while Ace looked at Beast Boy, wondering why he had even considered The Notebook as an option.

"So do you like that movie, Beast Boy?" asked Ace, "The Notebook, I mean. You like it?"

"Well," replied Beast Boy, "I didn't really before; heck I've never wanted to see it. But I kinda wanna see it now. Starfire's kinda psyching me up about it." He grinned.

"Beast Boy," asked Raven, "How you could possibly get psyched up about seeing The Notebook?" Robin looked over at Beast Boy, awaiting the answer.

"Dunno," he answered, "But who cares? I'm popping it in!" With that Beast Boy put in the DVD.

"Hold up," said Cyborg, "Don't I get a say in it?" He reached over and grabbed the remote before Beast Boy could press play.

"No way!" he said, grabbing back the remote, "Me and Ace won the race. WE should be the ones to decide what to watch!"

"Um, Ace?" asked Raven, "Do you really want to see this movie?" She rolled her eyes, telling him that he shouldn't say yes.

"Yeah, that's cool," he replied. Raven slapped her palm against her forehead. Beast Boy laughed triumphantly. Robin snuggled close to Starfire and put his arm around her shoulders. Cyborg sat next to Robin, at the edge of the couch. Beast Boy sat by Raven, who sat by Starfire. Ace sat at the other edge of the couch. The movie began and both Cyborg and Ace fell asleep within the first ten minutes. Beast Boy chuckled to himself, losing interest in the movie nearly immediately after Ace and Cyborg fell asleep, and thought about drawing all over their faces with a Sharpie, but decided against it. Starfire was crying into Robin's cape after the first half hour. Raven sat perfectly still, interested in the movie. Beast Boy turned his attention back to the film and yawned. It wasn't long before he fell asleep. He leaned his head on Raven's shoulder, who decided against throwing him across the room. She fell asleep soon after and her head fell onto his. Robin and Starfire were the only ones left awake. The movie ended and Robin and Starfire crept upstairs and shared a goodnight kiss.

"Thanks for bringing me down for dinner Star," he said as they were about to part, "I really enjoyed that. Maybe that's just what I need every time I work too hard, huh?" He smiled at her.

"Yes, Robin, I believe I shall watch the movies with you when I feel that you are working too hard." She replied.

"Thanks Star, good night."

"Good night Robin."

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hope you guys caught anything about ace. next chapter it will be revealed, and you'll be like, "oh..." or you'll be like "wtf. how could you catch anything in the last chapter?" lol okay, please review!

looooovveeee yyooouuuu :P omg im lame :P


	9. I always love pushing the button

**thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter, sorry for the hella long wait, although i dont think it was as long as last time. this chap is about explanations, the next chap will surely have action, i promise. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!! **

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**As soon **as Robin saw Starfire walk through the door into her own room, he crept around the corner to another part of the Tower. Robin walked past his own room and got into the elevator. He traveled a few floors and reached his destination. Robin checked around the corners of the elevator before proceeding, and walked briskly to Ace's room. He got there, and was surprised when it did not open automatically. Instead of his name on the door, a playing card was taped on. A Jack of Spades. He looked at the card queerly, but dismissed any other thoughts he might have had. Robin tore it off and saw a small slit in the door, about the width of the playing card.

"Alright," he said to himself. "Let's see what you're hiding." Robin slid the card into the slit and the door opened.

"Wow." Robin noticed a big change in the old storage room. The old furniture that was once there had disappeared, and there were lights… that worked! Somehow, a large bed had been put in there, along with other decorations Robin did not recognize. The room was also spotless.

"Hmm," thought Robin out loud. "Where'd all this stuff come from?" He stepped into the room and ran his hands along the dresser. There was a desk in the corner of the room, and he walked over to it. Robin opened a few drawers and found them empty. Robin looked under the bed and also found nothing. He grew frustrated and roughly opened the dresser drawers, only to find nothing more. He kicked the open drawers, sending them flying, and abruptly walked out of the room.

"Waste of my time…" he began, mid-stride. "Hiding something… I'll figure it out, and when I do…" Robin looked up from his brisk walk when he reached the elevator, and saw the doors open. "Great…" Robin looked to his left, to his right, and inside the elevator, but found no one. He cautiously stepped inside and set the destination for his room level. As the doors of the elevator closed he stepped back and leaned against the wall, an eerie silence settling in the elevator. He reached his floor and looked around, then swiftly moved to his bedroom, quickly entering and allowing his door to close abruptly behind him. He scowled.

**Beast Boy's** drool had successfully drenched Raven's cloak by this time, and she awoke with the sticky substance covering her face. She blinked for a few moments, rubbed her fingers together, and became wide awake. With the swift motion of her hand she threw her green teammate clear across the living room and he slammed his back into the wall. Ace and Cyborg woke up too, as all four were still lying on the couch.

"Ow…," said Beast Boy, rubbing the back of his head. "What was that for?" Raven stood up and wrung out her cloak. A rush of saliva spewed out from it and she gave him an un-amused look.

"Oh," he said, "Heh…" Cyborg laughed and got up from the couch.

"Alright y'all," he said, stretching, "I'm shutting down. You guys should go to bed too, it's late." Cyborg walked over to the control panel, pressed his hand to the sensor, and walked through the now secure doors out of the living room.

"Yeah, okay," said Ace, also feeling tired. "Night." Raven got up and walked with him back upstairs to his room. Beast Boy also got up, escorting his two friends out of the room.

"Okay," he began. "Did any of you like the movie or what?"

"Uh, I kinda fell asleep through it, but I guess the first en minutes were alright," said Ace, with a yawn. "It was kinda cheesy though."

"That movie was ridiculous," said Raven. "But I'm sure Starfire and Robin enjoyed it."

"Aw, c'mon Rae," said Beast Boy with a grin. "I saw you smiling throughout the whole movie! You can't tell me you didn't like it." She shrugged.

"Beast Boy," she began. "You fell asleep before I did. How could you possibly say I was smiling? Me, smiling!"

"Yeah, okay, that IS hard to believe," he replied, and she pushed him into a wall. They reached the elevator and Ace pressed the up button. The door slid open. Raven walked in first, Beast Boy next, and then Ace. Beast Boy jumped to push the button to the fourth floor.

"What?" he asked, after Raven raised an eyebrow. "I always love pushing the button."

"Whatever," said Raven, leaning against the wall of the elevator. Ace's eyes were closed and he leaned against the wall too. The elevator reached their destination and his eyes jolted awake.

"Dude," said Beast Boy, "Tired, much?" Ace laughed softly and shrugged.

"Yeah, hah." Beast Boy and Raven walked out of the elevator. Ace followed.

"See you later," said Beast Boy, and turned down the wall towards his room.

"I'll walk to you your room if you'd like," said Ace to Raven. She smiled.

"Alright." The two walked down the hall way together. It was quiet. Surprisingly, Raven was the first to speak.

"So," she began. "No body really knows that much about you, huh?" He looked at her with a blank expression. "Where are you from?"

"Um," he started uneasily. "I'm not sure actually. I was kind of adopted. But I did keep my birth name though."

"Really?" she said, an eyebrow raised. "What is it?"

"Don't laugh, okay? It's pretty lame, considering that Ace is my nickname." He said. Raven waited patiently, a small smile on her face.

"It's Jack Spade, okay?" Her smile widened and he blushed. "Yeah, I know, it's lame."

"No it's not," she said, half sarcastically. "Your name is fine. So, do you have any family around here?"

"Well," he started again, "Not around here. But I've got a brother. You probably never heard him before, er… heard _of_ him. He doesn't talk much anyways."

"Hmm," she said, thinking. "My family was never something I could introduce to people either. If I did, I'd have to use up all my powers trying to keep my emotions under control, and probably my family too." He smiled.

"Oh."

"So what _are_ your powers?" She questioned, as they turned another corner.

"Well, they're kind of like yours," he replied. Raven listened eagerly, though she didn't show it. He continued, "I'm an empath. I sense others' emotions, and sometimes can tell what they're thinking." She nodded in agreement.

"Huh," she said. He continued again.

"Well, they're different than yours too. I can sense more than emotions and thoughts. I sense energy, power." She looked at him, slightly confused at his vague words.

"Uh, can you give an example?" He smiled, knowing that he'd have to explain himself.

"I sense energy from other people; so essentially, I could have other people's powers and abilities. For instance, do you remember at the café? When I sort of… melted into the wall, and got away?" She nodded.

"Yes. I did that too when I left."

"Well, I sort of tapped into your powers. I had your abilities." Her eyes widened. She remembered that night with Dr. Light, and how his abilities seemed familiar. How every burst of energy that came from his hands were identical to Starfire's star bolts, and Cyborg's sonic cannon.

"Wait," she said. "So can you tap into energy that's not coming from a person? Like a machine?"

"Yeah," he replied. "That's why my playing cards have the same effects as Robin's gadgets. I tap into his exploding disc's power and put the same power into my playing cards. Comes in handy." He smiled. The two were now standing outside of Raven's room. She didn't open her door, as she was still in thought.

"Oh," he continued. "Those emotions that I can tap into as well… I can project them into other people." Raven looked at him, taking in the information he gave to her. He continued: "I mean, I don't do it on purpose, sometimes it just happens. People's emotions get switched around when I'm there."

"So, wait," she continued on. "What about other people's powers, outside of your limits? What if that person wasn't where you were? Could you still use their powers?" Ace blinked, trying to interpret what she said. He scanned her thoughts momentarily, and encountered a vision of his and Cyborg's race. The rock that shot up from the ground with a yellow glow was the picture that was frozen in Raven's mind. Terra's powers.

"Oh," he said. "Well, sometimes, I can sense power that was once there before. The power must have been tremendous if I could have tapped into it and that person hadn't there." Raven nodded again.

"Yes, she was powerful," said Raven. Ace just stood there.

"Well," he began. "I guess I should let you go to sleep now." She blushed slightly. The two were just standing outside of her door in the hallway, and she was somewhat embarrassed.

"Thanks," she replied, letting the door open. "I'll see you tomorrow." She gave him a smile and walked into her room, letting the door shut behind her.

Ace let out a sigh. He phased through the roof of the hallway and arrived at his room door. The playing card once taped on his door was lying on the ground, torn in half. He opened his door and saw that a few of his belongings were scattered around his room. He calmly picked them up, one by one, and replaced them to where they had been. He sat on his bed for a while, and then fell asleep.

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**i hope you liked it! next chap will be up sooner, i promise! if i get more reviews, it'll be up even faster! thanks alot!**

**REVEIWWWW PLEASEEEEE**

**i've also got a new C2 thingy, about high school titan fics. please let me know what they are so i can add them! high school fics are what i am addicted to right now! a good one is cartoonstar's "sick cycle carousel". it's the shit! haha sorry for my french, please review again!!!**


	10. vision

**thanks to the faithful reviewers out there. this chapter sets up for future events. i feel like im dragging this out, alot. so im probly going to finsih it really soon, since there are only TWO DAYS LEFT OF SCHOOL!! i can't wait, so i'll be able to update soon. enjoy! review! **

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**Raven** awoke to no sounds. Her window was closed and the drapes were pulled shut. Her room was very dark. She got out of bed and walked across the hall into the bathroom. She undressed, stepped into the shower, and turned on the faucet. The water was soothing on her freshly rested body.

Ten minutes later she got out. Raven quickly dried and clothed her body. She walked out of her room with slightly moist hair and proceeded down the hall. She got into the elevator and went downstairs.

Raven opened the doors to the living room and, unsurprisingly, saw no one. It was, after all, 6:30 in the morning. Beast Boy wouldn't get up for a few more hours, Robin was probably in the weight room, and Starfire was most likely still asleep. Raven noticed that Cyborg went to sleep only a few hours ago, so he'd still need time to recharge. Raven had yet to learn Ace's sleep patterns.

She put on a pot of tea and levitated in front of the huge window of the Tower. The sun shone from her left and the light cast a shadow that grew larger with each passing minute as the sun rose. She meditated.

Beast Boy walked through the doors. Raven sensed him and opened her eyes, not trusting her emotions, for how could Beast Boy be awake this early? She turned around and saw him rummaging through the fridge.

"Hey Rae," he said, not looking up.

"What are you doing up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep. I think I had enough rest during that movie last night. I woke up at four and didn't go back to sleep." He pulled out a plastic container filled with tofu, and shoved it into the microwave loudly. Raven noticed his cacophonous words and touched down.

"You okay?" she asked sincerely. He looked at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Beast Boy grabbed his food out of the microwave and began stabbing at it with a fork.

"You sure? That tofu isn't going to get any deader, you know. Not that it was ever alive…" Beast Boy brushed that last comment off.

"Okay." He put down his fork and swallowed what was left of the tofu in his mouth. "I had a bad dream, okay?"

"About what?"

"I wish I could tell you Rae," he replied, shaking his head. "But I can't really remember it. It was really dark, but that's it. I just remember feeling scared, okay?" Raven looked at him, concerned.

"Dark, huh?" She pondered for a moment. "Have you ever had this dream before?"

"Yeah, actually. Just the night before last. I thought it was just a simple bad dream. I didn't know it would… haunt me again." Raven studied his choice of words.

"Haunted?"

"Yeah, haunted. It felt like I had this dream before, but I can't remember ever dreaming it." Raven looked at him, thoughts racing through her mind, and then checked the clock. It was still hours before anyone normally came down.

"Do you want me to help you figure out your dream?" she asked. He looked at her again.

"What do you mean?"

"I can scan your mind, your subconscious, and help understand why you had this dream."

"Thanks Rae, but it's only happened twice, I'm sure it's not that big of a deal." He turned back to his tofu. She glared at him, so much that he turned around after feeling her eyes on him.

"Beast Boy, this dream you had… it doesn't seem like a dream," she said, "It sounds like a vision."

"A vision?"

"Yes," she said, now with more confidence. "I often have visions more than once before they actually occur. Every time I get one, it feels like I've gotten it before. It seems familiar. Then it happens." Beast Boy didn't speak while she spoke. He was thinking.

"How long will it be until the "vision" actually happens?"

"I don't know. As the visions get stronger, and they become clearer, the closer it'll be until it comes true." Raven closed her eyes and though for a moment. Beast Boy spoke up.

"When did your last vision come true?" he asked innocently. She remained with her eyes closed.

"A few days ago." She opened her eyes and turned her head towards him again.

"What was it about?"

"Ace."

"Oh."

"I saw him, coming into the Tower, and the rest is blurred. When we walked into the Tower after your race, Ace turned to me and smiled. He did that in my vision."

"Well that doesn't sound very urgent," said Beast Boy, frowning.

"Not all visions have to be." She took her teapot off of the stove, which was done a while ago. She added two tea bags and placed it on the table.

Beast Boy scooped some tofu into his mouth, swallowed, and cleared his throat.

"When was your last… urgent… vision?" He asked. She poured a cup of tea for herself. She thought.

"I can't tell you."

"Aww c'mon Rae!" he whined, disappointed. "Who am I going to tell?"

"No." She sipped her scalding tea.

"Did it already happen?" He asked, hoping for another clue.

"Yes," she replied, after a brief pause.

"Do I know about it?"

She paused again. "Yes."

Beast Boy smiled. He could tell that Raven resisted telling him because she didn't want to say too much. It wasn't that she couldn't remember.

"Okay…" he began. "Who was involved?"

"I'm not going to play twenty-questions with you Beast Boy," retorted Raven, blowing on her tea. "I'm only telling you information that you could never guess the outcome from."

"So… it's someone I know…" he said, holding a grin.

"Beast Boy…" said Raven, annoyed.

"Was it Robin?"

"No."

"Starfire?"

"No."

"Cy?"

"Beast Boy, cut it out!"

"Was it me or you?" She paused a moment, then yelled:

"Stop right now." He grinned wider. He knew he was getting close.

"Slade?"

"Ugh," she sighed.

"Terra?"

Raven was speechless for only a moment. She then said, "Don't say anything else."

"Okay, so it was something to do with Terra, and me or you," he explained, feeling smart. "So which one?"

"Which what?" snarled Raven, annoyed that he had figured that much out. She kicked herself for being so easily manipulated.

"Was it me or you involved with Terra?" His voice got softer as he said Terra's name.

"It was you."

"Oh." He paused. "What'd you see?"

"Nothing," she replied. Raven sipped her tea, which was still very hot. She put her hand over the top of the cup, blocking some of the heat, and warming her hand, for no apparent reason. Beast Boy could tell her mind was focused on her vision.

"Raven," he said. She looked at him. "Tell me. I deserve to know."

"I really can't tell you Beast Boy," she replied, looking back down at her tea.

"Please, Raven," he asked, trying to sound less curious than he was. "If you tell me, I'll let you figure out my dream." Raven raised a sarcastic eyebrow.

"I'm not all that thrilled about exploring your mind Beast Boy," she said. "I was trying to help you." He rethought what he was about to say. He stopped all thoughts of continuing to pester her.

"I want you to help me Rae," he said, staring into her eyes as she lifted her head. "Please?"

"I'm not going to tell you my vision Beast Boy," she said, still doubtful.

"I don't care anymore. I just want your help." Beast Boy looked sincere. Raven had always wanted to feel needed. She shrugged.

"Alright then." Beast Boy smiled. He scooted closer to her.

"Close your eyes. Relax," she commanded. She placed a hand on his forehead and chanted:

"Azarath… Metrion… Zinth-" she was cut off by the loving room doors opening and an ecstatic Starfire flying in.

"Good morning friends!" she squealed. "Have you both consumed the fast-breaking meal?" Raven removed her hand quickly and Beast Boy's eyes shot open.

"Yeah, Star, I ate," said Beast Boy, getting up to clean his plastic container still halfway full of tofu. Raven sipped her tea silently.

"Oh, how dreadful!" said Starfire, now holding a bowl of brown pudding-like food. "I had wished to prepare a delicious feast for us." Raven rolled her eyes.

"Oh, well," said Beast Boy. "Thanks for the thought anyways. Raven?" Raven looked up from her tea.

"Uh, can you meet me in my room later?" She nodded. Starfire was blissfully looking the other way.

"Thanks." He left the room, practically skipping. Ace walked through the doors as Beast Boy left.

"Hey Raven, hey Starfire," he said casually. Ace walked over to where Starfire was preparing the food and sat down at the counter.

"Glorious mornings to you, friend," replied Starfire.

"Hello," said Raven, taking another sip of her tea. Robin walked into the room with a towel around his neck, Cyborg following shortly after. They were in mid-discussion.

"No way, man," said Cyborg. "Level 8 is still considered beginners. Just 'cause you beat it in a few minutes doesn't make you any better!"

"What are you two fighting about now?" asked Raven.

"Cyborg says level 8 on the simulator is novice level," replied Robin. "I beg to differ."

"Isn't level 8 the one with all the boulders?" she asked.

"Yeah, but Cy has a sonic cannon that can blast through them. I have to climb over each one." Raven looked at him.

"Whatever." She got up from her seat, put her cup away, and walked out of the room. Robin and Cyborg continued to argue. Starfire has just finished preparing the pudding-dish and had placed bowls in front of Ace, Robin, and Cyborg. She filled each of their bowls and smiled. They just stared at it.

"Thanks… Star…" They all said.

**Beast Boy **was sitting on his bottom bunk patiently. His hands were folded and he was trying to remember his dream from the night before. His thoughts were clouded. Raven knocked on the door.

"Come in."

"Hi Beast Boy." She walked in, stumbling over a pile of laundry.

"Hey, Rae."

"Ready to try it again?" She pulled up a chair to his bed, right next to where he was sitting.

"Yeah," he replied. He scooted a little bit more towards her, and she reached out her hand. She touched his forehead and chanted again:

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…" Beast Boy's expression changed from calm to nervous. The pupils concealed by his eyelids were dashing around in their sockets. Raven got a clear idea of his dream.

Darkness was evident. It felt like he was walking. Raven couldn't tell who it was walking, but it wasn't Beast Boy, although it felt that way. He walked until some light was visible. It was a red light, all above him. The sky was red. The sight that Raven was trying to look at became clearer. She saw dark clouds, possibly made of the debris floating around. Raven could not help but feel like this dream was familiar. Then she saw him. Trigon. The monster that was her father rose from behind the debris and cupped his hands together. He lifted his massive arms and swung in Beast Boy/ Raven's direction. It went white.

Raven was thrown across the room as she came to. Beast Boy's eyes shot open.

"What'd you see?" he demanded, holding his head with his hand. Raven didn't speak. She sat against the wall with her eyes open, looking at the ground.

"Raven?"

"I saw my father." Beast Boy's eyes grew wide.

"What? How is that possible?"

"I don't know," she replied, tears forming. "I'm sure it was a vision, Beast Boy, but it really did feet more like a memory. When you were fighting my father, did he ever… rise from ashes? Or swing his arms and attack you?"

Beast Boy thought. "No, he didn't." Raven's face remained emotionless.

"Raven," said Beast Boy. "I think it was a memory."

"How can you be sure?" she asked.

"It just… felt like one. But it's not my memory. Definitely not mine."

She looked at him. He opened his mouth to speak:

"I think it's yours."

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yes, okay it was a weak cliffie. but im really bored with this story now. im going to start a new one as soon as i finish this one. review please!!!!!!!!!!!! thank you

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	11. good

im turning this story into fifty different directions, and it's driving me insane. i hope you all like fluff. hahahah. then there is some choppy stuff down below that i hope you can understand. if not, the next chapter will haha i own nothing and REVIEW

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"**Mine," **said Raven in a monotone voice. "Sure about that?" He nodded, very slightly.

"Yeah. I mean, to me, it sounds exactly like when Trigon took over the world. You know exactly what my dream looks like, you tell me if it's familiar or not." She raised an eyebrow, still in slight disbelief.

"Alright," she admitted. "It does feel familiar. Okay, it IS familiar. So why did you have this vision…er… memory?" He shook his head.

"I dunno, Rae," he replied. "Are you sure your powers aren't doing any of this?" She looked up suddenly, her eyes wide.

"Not mine," she said. "But I know whose."

"Really? Who?"

Raven phased through the roof and disappeared from Beast Boy's sight. He looked up at where she left.

"Great…" he said, and left his room, running for the elevator. There was only one place above his floor she could have gone.

**He had** made it to Ace's door to find it open, Raven standing in the middle of the room.

"Hey," he said, grabbing her shoulder. She turned around to face him. "Thanks for leaving me back there. Where's Ace?" She turned back around and paced about the now empty room.

"He left."

"What? Is he downstairs or what?"

"Gone. I already scanned the Tower with my mind. He's not here anymore," she replied.

"Oh," said Beast Boy. "Does anyone else know?"

"I don't think so," she said, leaving the room. "C'mon, let's go tell everyone."

"'kay," he replied, following her out. They walked quickly to the elevator. Beast Boy pushed all of the necessary buttons, allowing the two to reach the living room. The doors opened and they found Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg on the couch watching TV.

"Hey," said Beast Boy, flopping down on the couch with his friends. "You guys seen Ace?"

"Yeah," replied Cyborg, changing the channel. "He said he'd be upstairs if y'all wanted him. Why?"

"I just scanned the tower," replied Raven, standing beside the couch. "He's not here."

"Maybe he just went out," said Cyborg, taking no particular interest in the subject.

"I need to talk to him. Did he ever leave a cell number or something we could reach him by?"

"No," said Robin, getting up. "I'm beginning to wonder where he is, too. I'll try and find what I can." Robin got up and left the living room, headed to perhaps a computer room.

"Thanks," said Raven as he left. She looked around the room. Her eyes fell upon Beast Boy. He was looking at her as well.

"Now what?" he asked her.

"I don't know."

"Ugh," he sighed. "Now I'm bored. Wanna do something?" He asked with round eyes.

"Me?" She asked, surprised.

"Yeah," he said, smiling. "C'mon, I'll let you beat me at Mega Monkeys Five…" He grinned after letting the last comment trail.

"As tempting as that sounds," she replied. "I'd rather watch paint dry."

"Geez Rae," he retorted. "That sounds just as boring as meditating." She glared at him. She opened her mouth to lecture but stopped.

"It's not boring. It's peaceful and relaxing."

He looked at her. He expected a lecture from his careless words just moments ago.

"Sure you don't wanna play?" he asked again. She paused, but only for a brief moment.

"…No thanks."

He smiled wide. "HAH!"

"What?" she said flatly.

"You paused. That means you DO wanna play, huh?"

"Shut up Beast Boy."

"You know Rae," he began, circling her as if he was inspecting his prey. "I'm getting pretty good at reading your mind." She turned and leaned against the counter, her head following his body pacing back and forth.

"Yeah. I'm sure."

"Yep," he continued. "Those subtle hints are dead give a-ways."

"What does subtle mean?" she asked, curious to see if he knew the answer.

"I know what it means Rae," he said confidently. "And quit changing the subject. That's another give a-way."

"What are you talking about Beast Boy?" she was growing frustrated.

"See? Changing the subject means you don't wanna talk about it…" he explained.

"Duh," she replied.

"…and that means it's a touchy subject…"

"Duh."

"…which means I'm curious to see why." He stopped talking.

"Once, again, DUH."

"Yeah, okay, so all that stuff is kinda common sense, but the whole point of this argument was to prove that you want to play video games!" Raven threw her hands up into the air.

"That makes no sense whatsoever!" she shouted, causing the other Titans to look up at her.

"Yeah, okay, fine," he admitted. "But just one game!" She smirked slightly in response. Beast Boy saw it and smiled.

"Yes!" he cried triumphantly, grabbing the TV remote from Cyborg and pushing him and Starfire off of the couch.

"Yo," shouted Cyborg. "What are you doing, man?"

"Indeed," agreed Starfire. "Why do you behave this way?"

"No time to talk!" he shouted in reply. "Raven just agreed to play video games! There's not much time until the pigs start flying!" Cyborg's jaw dropped.

"What did you do to Rae?" he asked as Beast Boy untangled the game wires.

"Nothing, er, I mean I dunno," he said, struggling with a knot in the cords.

"It's alright Cyborg," said Raven. "Just one game. Till Ace gets back."

"Alright then," replied the half-robot. "I'm going out to the garage to visit my baby, y'all behave now." He left the room still scratching his head.

"Friends," said Starfire, her hands cupped together. "May I watch?"

"Of course Starfire," replied Raven, watching Beast Boy struggle still. She waved her hand and the cords became engulfed in black essence. They untied themselves and she handed Beast Boy the fist player controller.

"Heh… thanks," he said. He turned on the game and proceeded to choose cooperative mode.

"Alright Rae," he said. "We're just gonna start a new game." She looked at him, her face clearly saying, "Okay, whatever."

"Right," he continued. "So we're just gonna work together…" He pointed to the screen, moving his hand so fast it was hard to follow. "…and we have to collect these things… OH there's one!" His absorption in the game mystified Raven. It was like he was a child, explaining a game to his parent, thoughts in every direction. She shivered at the thought of being Beast Boy's parent figure.

"…and then… hey, you okay?" He noticed her shiver.

She shrugged. "Just a little cold," she lied.

"I shall fetch you a blanket friend," said Starfire, flying out of the room quickly.

"Anyways… press the X button to… yeah, jump, okay, and then the O button is… yeah, punch, okay, wow Rae. You're kinda getting the hang of this huh?" Beast Boy looked at her, perplexed, yet still pressing buttons frantically.

She didn't move her eyes from the screen. "Yeah, you guys are pretty loud, shouting directions when I'm trying to read and all." The screen turned white, reading, "Level One complete." She put down the controller.

"Hah," he laughed, "Me and Cy rule at this game."

The score read:

Player One: 698 points

Player Two 544 points."

"Not bad Rae," complimented Beast Boy. "Pretty good for a first-timer."

"Thanks," she replied, with a slight smile. Beast Boy melted. It was flattering, getting a smile from her.

She got up, rolled the cord around her controller, and headed out.

"Where you going, Raven?" asked Beast Boy, following her out.

"One game, that's what I said."

"Oh yeah." His ears drooped.

"But…" she continued. "Maybe I'll play one more game another day."

"Really?" he said, fully looking at her now. "Awesome!" She headed out.

"Rae!"

She stopped, looking at him with a blank expression.

"Er… never mind," he said. "Enjoy your peace." He smiled. She did too, only very slightly. She disappeared through the roof, probably heading to her room, he thought.

Beast Boy turned around and went back to the common room. He flopped down on the couch.

**Raven** sat on her bed, meditating.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…" she chanted. An image formed in her head. She saw darkness again.

It was the same vision as before. It was familiar. She saw her father rise from the ashes and attack her. She mentally braced herself, but nothing happened to her. Instead, the energy that she though would hit her went over her head and destroyed the remains of cities behind her. She looked at Trigon and gasped at who she saw standing in front of him. It was Slade. He seemed to be controlling him, the movements of his arms exactly following Slade's. Raven shuddered. Why would Slade be controlling her father? No one has that kind of power. She ran. Slade chased her, her father trailing as fast as they ran. Slade jumped on her and she resisted, but he held her. She looked up at him, still pinned. She could see her father behind him, the view not at all blocked by Slade. Then she saw him. Behind her father stood another menacing figure, even larger. His eyes glowed red, and right after Slade's eyes did too, then Trigon's. Ace was in control of everyone.

She opened her eyes, sweat dripping down her face. She scanned the tower, hoping to see Ace. She did not. She phased through the roof of her room, and the roof of the floors above hers, and stopped when she reached the roof. She chanted:

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…" Her mind quickly scanned the city, but didn't find him.

"Ugh."

**Below** the surface, Slade sat on a throne-like chair, his son kneeling in front of him.

"Honestly Ace," he said, "Your brother joined the Titans, but you too? My my..." He got up from his chair and paced around.

"Speak."

"Well," said Ace, "I don't really think that this will work. It doesn't feel right."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"He's not in control anymore."

"That's right. Anything else?"

"But neither are you." Slade calmly sat back down.

"And who," he began. "Is?"

"It's not me either, if that's what you're thinking."

"No, I know it isn't you."

"I have visions, father," said Ace quietly.

"I know that. Are they… spreading again?"

"I'm not sure…" Slade stood up and grabbed Ace by the collar.

"You'd better make sure they don't. You don't want someone to know, do you?"

"No," replied Ace slowly, and with is head down. "I don't." Slade let go of his shirt and took his seat again.

"Good."

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gasp. lol jk. anyways, hope you liked it, REVIEW please! 


	12. it sets the mood

**sorry for the longerish update. this chapter reveals stuff. action coming up, only a few chaps left, not too much bbrae here, but hopefully in the next chapter. thank you to all the faitful reviwers, and the new ones!!  
**

**PLEASE REVIEW  
**

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**Robin** wasted no time in trying to figure out more about Ace. After he told his team of his intentions, he ran to his evidence room before grabbing a small black carrying case from his personal store room. He reached the evidence room and walked inside, taking a seat at a somewhat clutter-free desk. He took out his laptop from its carrying case and turned on the power. He leaned back and thought out loud.

"What to search for…what to search for…" He stopped mid-thought. He had run hundreds of thousands of searches on villains, but not too many for neutral or heroic persons. Robin pondered just searching "Ace", but feared wasting time on Royal Flush Gang members from Gotham. He got up from his seat, after logging into his account, and headed to the door. He heard light footstep coming down the hall, and he opened the door to see her still coming.

"Hey Raven," said Robin, opening the door.

"Hello."

"I was wondering if you could help me," he asked.

"With your search on Ace? Why? Having trouble?"

"Yeah…" he replied. "I don't know where to begin."

"How about a name," she replied, growing slightly annoyed that he hadn't found anything yet, let alone started.

"Well, that's kind of the issue. What is his _true_ name?"

"Robin," said Raven. "You of all people know that _true_ names don't come by often around here. Why even ask that question?" He sighed, understanding her logic.

"Yeah, alright," he said. "I was just looking for a lead."

"Check his room." She phased through the floor after that last comment, her destination unknown to Robin.

"Er... okay…" He went up a floor too Ace's room. It looked undisturbed from the outside since he went there last. He opened the door to see all of the drawers put back in place. He paced about the room until finally giving up, clearly seeing nothing that could be of any help. He stormed out of the room, for the second time, and shut the door. He looked down for a brief moment and saw the Jack of Spades torn in half. He picked up the two pieces and quickly went to the evidence room.

"Alright," he said out loud, and to no one in particular. "Let's try this again…"

**The living** room was still, despite having multiple teenagers inside of it. Raven mediated in front of the window, the sun setting before her. The bright rays would have blinded her, should her eyes have been open, but they were closed, so she was fine. Starfire was lying on her stomach on the floor, her legs crossed in the air. She was reading a book on hot dogs, studying intently. Cyborg listened to an MP3 player privately with his eyes closed. He sat on the sofa, his legs spread out in front of him and his arms resting comfortably on the back of the couch. Beast Boy was also on the couch, but in the form of a kitten, sleeping softly. Waking up at four a.m. that morning obviously made him sleepier than usual. All had been silenced.

The doors whooshed open and Starfire looked up. Beast Boy snapped awake, falling off of the couch transforming back into his human form. Raven opened an eye, possibly out of habit, but was soon blinded by the rays of the setting sun. She quickly turned around to see him at the door. Cyborg was the only one undisturbed.

"Hey guys," said Ace.

"To where have you been, my friend?" asked Starfire. "And do you perhaps wish to read with me on the 'hot dogs'?"

"Uh, no thanks Starfire," he replied, inspecting the room. He wondered where Robin was.

"Yeah, dude, where were you? I thought you went to your room?" inquired Beast Boy.

"Uh, I did," replied Ace, unaffected. "Then I left."

"Oh, okay then." Beast Boy turned to Raven. "Don't we have something to say to Ace, Raven…?" He motioned his head in Ace's direction. She touched down.

"We have to talk to you," she said, walking towards him. His sweat dropped.

"Alright," he responded, and walked out of the common room with the two Titans.

"So, what's up?" he asked, as they talked outside the doors.

"Beast Boy had a dream last night," explained Raven.

"Except we don't think it was a dream, because I had it two nights in a row."

"Well, lots of people have recurring dreams…" said Ace.

"Yeah, but not ones about Trigon."

"Oh."

"That's where you come in," Raven told Ace. "Your powers transfer energy, emotions, and powers. It wasn't Beast Boy's dream, that's for sure."

"I can't move dreams, Raven."

"I don't think it's just a dream," stated Beast Boy firmly. "We think it's a memory."

Ace stood there, took off his glasses, wiped them off, and put them back on. "It's not a memory; it's a vision. And it was mine. I did not mean for it to be passed onto you. My visions do that sometimes." He trailed off.

Raven looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"What Beast Boy saw… it's going to happen. Soon. I don't know how soon, but it won't be long."

"Oh great," said Beast Boy throwing his hands into the air. "Trigon's going to come back, chase me around some destroyed wasteland, and then kill me!"

"Not you Beast Boy," corrected Ace.

"Me," finished Raven.

"How do you know that?" asked Beast Boy.

"I had a vision Beast Boy," she replied. "A little different than the one you had, but I think I still got it from Ace. Is that right?" She turned to him.

"Depends. What did you see?"

She told them.

"Whoa," exclaimed Beast Boy. He turned and looked at Ace, and took a step back from him.

"I never had that vision Raven," Ace said quietly. "It's your own." She stepped back in shock.

"Ace, I saw my father. I saw you… and Slade… and my father!" Raven said.

"I know!" he exclaimed in reply. "It's not mine, I swear!"

Raven paused. Beast Boy's eyes dashed around the room, going from Ace to Raven. She spoke up.

"Alright, how long do you think we have until all of this comes true? Until it all unfolds?"

"I can't be sure. The world isn't on fire yet, so I really-" Ace was cut off by the Titan alarm system. The red lights blared and flashed all over their faces.

"Titans! Trouble!"

The three ran back into the common room at the sound of Robin's voice. He stood at the large screen with flashing red lights all over it.

"What's the trouble?" demanded Raven.

"The world's on fire!" yelled Cyborg. Her eyes narrowed and looked at Ace, whose eyes had grown wide. Beast Boy nearly fainted.

"Not exactly, Cyborg," said Robin. "Just downtown. Buildings have been torn down and crumbled." He pressed a button on the keyboard and a red dot that had been blinking earlier expanded and turned into a picture. It showed the city, torn, broken, and burning. Raven's eye now grew wide. Beast Boy's eyes as well.

"This can't be happening," stated Beast Boy.

"What do you speak of now Beast Boy?" asked Starfire, noticing her friend's worry written all over his face.

"Uh…" he stuttered, wondering if Raven wanted the others to know. He turned to her, and she spoke.

"It's a vision that Ace and I both had," she began. "Ace saw the world on fire, and I saw who was behind it." She folded her arms.

"Whoa," said Cyborg. "Hold up. You and Ace had the same visions? And why the heck didn't I know about any of this?"

"And I?" asked Starfire.

"Raven, did you tell _any_one about this?" questioned Robin.

"Beast Boy knows."

"Okay, NOW I'm confused. How does HE know but not any of us?" yelled Cyborg, circuits fuming.

"Ace passed the vision onto Beast Boy by accident. He wasn't even supposed to get involved."

"_Involved_?" asked Robin, growing frustrated. "Raven, you'd better not be hiding anything. Our city is on fire, and you know other important information?" He walked right up to her and pointed a finger in her face. She swatted it away and opened her mouth to reply but did not. Another red dot on the screen had turned into a picture and showed Slade rampaging around the city, using fiery powers to help destroy the buildings.

"SLADE!" yelled Robin. "Let's go team! Raven, I hope you know a way to stop this. I haven't seen Slade with these powers since-"

"I know." He raised a brow.

"Where is Ace?" asked Starfire. He had indeed gone. He no longer stood by Raven and Beast Boy. Robin's eyes darted around the room, looked at shrugs all around, and then shrugged himself, mentally deciding to deal with him later. After all, Slade was back.

"Titans, GO!" At Robin's final command the team ran through the doors, heading for downtown.

**It was** the exact image of Raven's vision. Although the image on the Titan's screen showed bits and pieces of the scene, in person, it was eerie. She was used to seeing her visions come true, but to have shared it with two other people, one of which who doesn't have visions, was the scary part. The look on his face was depressing. He looked disgusted, shocked, scared, and angry. Then they saw Slade.

Robin jumped over to him first. "Why are you here, Slade?" he demanded, getting out his Bo Staff.

"Didn't she tell you?" he replied cryptically. Robin's eyes narrowed. "Ah, it's simple. I have a little unfinished business to deal with. Nothing personal against you Titans, or to your city either. I just think it… _sets the mood_." His eye narrowed, showing amusement.

"Well cut it out," yelled Robin, the rest of the Titans still behind him. "This city has had enough of you, and so have I."

"I don't think so, Robin. In only a few more moments, I'll be able to get what I came for, and take my revenge."

"What would THAT be exactly?"

"Ask your friend Raven." All Titans stared at her. She blocked out their glares for a few moments to think. Then it hit her; she shot open her eyes.

"He's bringing back my father, just so he can take revenge on his betrayal," she answered. Starfire gasped.

"But how?" she said. "You were the portal last time, were you not? Must we lose you again?"

"Are you kidding?" Beast Boy screamed. "We can't let this happen, Raven. We **won't** lose you again."

"Ace," said Robin firmly. "That's how he'll do it." Raven now realized Ace's purpose in all of this.

"You're right, Robin," she said. "Ace can take my ability to become the portal, and use it to become the portal himself." Beast Boy's jaw dropped.

"Wait a sec, Robin," he said. "How'd you know about Ace's powers?"

"Research."

Slade jumped into the middle of their little group discussion. Every Titan took a step back. He raised his arms and flames shot out, causing the teens to drop to the ground and try to cover themselves.

"We're done discussing this," said Slade coldly, pointing an arm at Robin and unleashing fire in a flamethrower-like manner. Robin covered himself with his cape but remained motionless. Slade then stood in an almost crucifix stance, unleashing fire from his palms, spinning in a circle, and hitting all the other Titans, sending them flying. He walked around them and towards a tall building, planning on getting to the very top. It was one of the few which were not destroyed.

Beast Boy had fallen right next to Raven, face down. She lifted her head and groaned, Beast Boy watching with his opened eyes.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"How the heck did Slade get his powers back?"

"I'm sure Ace has something to do with it," she replied. "He's been giving Slade all of his powers, and planting visions into all of our heads." Beast Boy shook his head.

"No," he said. "I don't think he'd plant those visions into our minds on purpose. Why would he? He doesn't have anything to gain from it." She nodded slightly, getting up slowly as well. Beast Boy did too.

"Wait," she said, thinking. "Maybe he was trying to warn us. Maybe he needed us to know Slade's plan, to try and stop it."

"Could be," said Beast Boy. Just then, Ace shimmered into sight.

"Hey," he said, out of breath. "My father thinks I'm at the top of that building, waiting for him." Beast Boy grabbed Ace by the collar.

"What on Earth is going on?" he yelled. "We've figured some stuff out but we're not sure what's true and what isn't!" Ace pushed Beast Boy's hands off of him.

"You guys are right. Everything. My father needs me to get Raven's powers, become the portal, and help trap Trigon," he said. "Once we have Trigon where he's vulnerable, my father will kill him."

"What about you?"

"I'll die as the portal."

Beast Boy groaned. "Okay, well we don't want that! And we definitely don't want Trigon back." Cyborg and Starfire began to stir, and Robin uncloaked himself from where he was protecting himself.

"I have to leave," said Ace, seeing Slade nearly at the building. "Good luck." Raven grabbed his arm.

"There is no way we'll be able to pull this off," said Raven angrily. "If Slade can stop my father we can't possibly be able to stop him."

"You'll have to," he replied, gently removing Raven's hand from his arm. "Try this, though, it might come in handy." He slipped a brass ring on Raven's middle finger. Beast Boy growled.

"The Ring of Azar."

"Yes. Use it well." He shimmered out of sight. Raven removed the ring from her finger and inspected it. She grabbed Beast Boy's hand and slipped it onto his finger. He managed to blush slightly, despite their dire situation.

"Here," she said. "You use it. It will probably help you more than it would for me."

"Titans," said Robin. "We have to follow him, move out!" Beast Boy nodded to Raven, and went with his teammates to get Slade.

"I hope this works out…" he thought to himself, looking at Raven.

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okay!you read it, let me know what's up, REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	13. Black Hole Sun

okay guys, this chapter explains stuff, but if you all really wanna understand it all, you gotta know sum stuff about slade's past haha okay, here it is, readit reveiw it

i also want to thank some new reviewers, and the faithful ones, thanks alot, im glad you like this!

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**Slade began** his climb to the top of the building. It was an enormous building, probably fifty or more stories at its prime state. Although it was pretty much the only building still standing, it was very fragile, and he had to scale the outer wall because the stairs had crumbled. The rough surface on which he had to climb had conveniently misplaced bricks for his foot to rest on as he climbed. Despite slipping a few times under unstable bricks, he climbed fairly quickly, though that doesn't mean he got there soon. His prize was at the top of the building, only mere minutes before reaching.

"Revenge is sweet," he stated, as he climbed over the edge and stood on top of the building. It had in fact taken him over ten minutes to reach the top. Ace stood a few yards away, arms crossed, and a scowl across his face. "What are you scowling about?" demanded Slade.

"When you told me I could make it up to you, I didn't think I'd have to make it up with my life," he replied. Slade suppressed a chuckle.

"You're a man of your word Ace, I raised you that way," replied his father. "And I intend for you to keep yours."

A bird-a-rang shot out and clipped Slade's arm, spinning him. The weapon turned around full circle and Robin caught it. All five Teen Titans stood on the roof, in a fighting stance.

"You fools!" cried Slade. "This building won't hold us all. You're going to ruin everything."

"Sorry about that Slade," answered Robin. "I guess we'll have to get rid of someone." The Titan leader charged at their foe, succeeding to kick Slade and sliding him across the roof of the building. He now lay at Ace's feet.

"Just do it, Ace!" screamed Slade. "Open the portal! Hurry!"

"What?" replied Ace angrily. "You haven't even thought this out! The whole reason that we're on this building is so Trigon could be brought back. Crumbling underneath this building would weaken him, until you could deliver the final blow!" Raven stared at Ace, angry that he was trying to help Slade.

"We'll figure it out later! Just do it! Do what I say!" yelled Slade back, feeling the concrete crumbling underneath him. Just then, before Ace could respond, Slade's eye caught sight of a gold ring, shining in the distance. It was on Beast Boy's finger.

"How dare you Ace," said Slade coldly. "My 'final blow' lay on the finger of my enemy. You're a traitor. You've betrayed your own father." He took a step to Ace.

"I couldn't have let you do this."

"You don't have a choice anymore. This is an order. Give me the ring Ace. Clear your friends. It's time." Slade crossed his arms. Ace's eyes went red. He borrowed Raven's telekinetic ability and pushed Cyborg and Starfire off of the building. Robin had jumped clear out of the way and fought Slade. Beast Boy's hand went straight up into the air and the ring shot off. He gasped and tried to get it. Raven ran up to Ace, who had an angry scowl on his face.

"Ace snap out of it!" shouted Raven. "I don't know how he's controlling you, but you need to snap out of it!" He now stared at her with red eyes.

"He isn't controlling me Raven," he replied. "He could never control me. I could never even control myself. Something in my body is taking over. My need to help my father… it's taking over. I can't stop it."

"What?" shouted Raven. "What are you talking about? Why do you have to help your father? Why do you feel so in debt to him? He's a criminal, and you're a good person, you don't have to do this Ace!" He stopped scowling for a brief moment.

"You wouldn't understand Raven. I have to fix things. It's my fault he's like this. I've tried before, and it's all failed. The least I can do is make up for what I've done."

"You keep talking about what you've done? What happened?" Raven had nothing but concern in her eyes. His eyes stopped glowing red.

"You don't understand what I 'm telling you. I don't have time to explain it all either," he said. He raised both of his hands in front of him. It looked like he was going to make the earth rise, but instead, his hands shone white and time froze. It was very cold all of a sudden. Robin was in the air holding his Bo Staff, about to strike Slade. Beast Boy had a shocked look on his face as he watched Raven. Raven however, was still moving.

"You froze time," she stated. Ace walked over to Slade and scooted him over a few inches, so Robin's attack would not hit him. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Yes, I froze time," he replied. "And I'm helping my father. I owe him much, remember?"

"Fine," she said. "You froze time. Why? Stalling?"

"No," he said. "I'm about to die Raven. No one except my father knows what my reasons for sacrificing myself are, so I think it best that at least you understand. In the end, you and your friends will stand, and my father will be in no position for explanations."

"You aren't going to die Ace. We won't let you." Her voice trailed off, and she clutched her arms and shivered.

"You are the only person that will get an explanation. Would you like to live it, or have me tell you? We have all the time in the world." She pondered on what he meant by "live it". She didn't want to feel all of his emotions, and his pains as she observed his past.

"Please tell me." She sat down cross legged and put her hands on her knees.

"Alright." He cleared his throat.

"You already know that I was adopted. That is pretty much the only part of my life that I'm not one hundred percent clear on why. Slade took me in as a child, and I lived with his family. They were kind people.

"My powers revealed themselves shortly after. I couldn't help it. Slade was the closest to me out of all my family members, so he got all of the consequences. I transferred all of my doubtful thoughts, all of my brother's emotions, all of the pain I had ever experienced, into him." Raven gasped.

"That's why he's insane Raven. I did this to him. And on top of that, my mother left him and took my brother… and then it was just me and my Dad. I felt all of his rage when she left. I couldn't stop myself, but somehow, I amplified his pain and gave it back. I've done that to him everyday ever since then." He stopped.

"Wow," said Raven. "I had no idea."

"Yeah," he replied. "If it wasn't for me, Slade would have never turned into the monster that he is today." He stopped and looked over at his father and Robin, still posed.

"Do you know why he's so obsessed with getting an apprentice?" She shook her head. "Well, that's my fault too. I was supposed to succeed him, to help him, to stand by his side. But all I could do was cause trouble. He kicked me out when you Titans formed. Just kicked me out. I tried finding my mother and brother, but that was a waste of time. Came back and he'd already gone through two apprentices, died, and came back to life."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I felt so guilty that I wasn't there. It was my job to be his apprentice, and I caused so much pain because of my absence."

"Don't blame yourself, Ace," said Raven. "None of this was done on purpose." He threw his head back and laughed out of frustration.

"Raven, it's my fault."

"Fine. It's your fault. You don't have to hurt other people by trying to make it up to him," she said, her arms crossed.

"Raven, LISTEN TO ME!" shouted Ace. "I know you're father was never there for you, and I know he never did anything to even seem fatherly. But it's so different in my case. So, so different." He walked back over to his father, and took off his mask. Raven couldn't see his face though. Ace raised a hand and touched his father's face, his scar. Slade's eye was slanted, in an angry expression. The scarred eye was completely covered with the overlapping skin.

"All of that's true. Fine, but from what you've told me it doesn't matter! What aren't you telling me Ace? How can I understand if you won't tell me?" He put his father's mask back on his face.

"You know what I'm not telling you? My mother hated me. That's why Slade and I were so close. All the stuff I did to him, I did to my mom first. It may not have been the biggest reason she left my father, but that's all she talked about as she dragged my brother out of the house and into the car with all their luggage. All she said was 'He drove me insane, I'm outta here' and crap like that." Raven remained silent.

"It doesn't even matter. I can't describe what I made her relive… You _really_ wouldn't understand."

"Fine," she replied, for the third time. "Maybe I would have to know more about your past, about what happened to your mother, and the tragedies your family had to endure. But right now, the only thing I'm concerned with is making sure you don't bring my father back." He cracked a smile.

"Yeah, I know," he said. "I can't help you Raven. I've sworn to help my father, at all costs. So I suppose we're done here…" He lifted his hands again, just as he had done before, and his hands glowed white.

"Wait! Ace!" shouted Raven, but it was too late. The cold wind blew away and everyone began to stir. Robin thrusted his arms and swung his staff at Slade, but it missed completely. Slade kicked Robin a few feet away and touched his mask.

"You…" he said, pointing at Ace.

"I didn't show anyone!" he defended. "Honest!" Slade walked over to Ace and grabbed him by the collar.

"You are not supposed to stop time, Ace," said Slade through clenched teeth, though no one could tell. "And if you do, I am supposed to be there with you." Ace closed his eyes out of fear. His glasses shattered.

"Do it now. Open the portal. Release Trigon!" screamed Slade, noticing Robin getting helped up by Raven and Beast Boy. As soon as the three Titans heard Slade's command, they rushed. Ace lifted a hand and a glowing black barrier separated them. He rose into the air and brought Raven with him. She kicked and spun around, but could not get free of his control. Ace's eyes were red again, and he turned to Raven. He glided over to her. She was frozen. He grabbed her face harshly, and his hands glowed white again. She lost her breath for a moment, and closed her eyes. It felt like the life was being sucked out of her, and she stopped resisting.

When he was done, Ace put her back on the ground and put down the barrier. Robin rushed over to Slade instinctively. Beast Boy glared at him for not going to Raven, and ran over to her and gingerly lifted her head.

"Raven!" he shouted. "You still there?" She opened her eyes and smiled feebly. Then she realized what was going on and her eyes shot open wider.

"Ace!" she shouted. Beast Boy pouted for a brief moment then looked up and saw Robin and Slade fighting. Ace was still in the air, only now his coat had been torn and red figures were burned into his skin. "Oh no…" The red figures on his skin lifted, and circled him. He opened an eye painfully and looked at his father.

"Goodbye… father," he said, enduring pain. Slade looked up at his son. His expression did not change. Robin had stopped fighting Slade and was also now looking at Ace.

"No!" shouted Raven, taking flight and attempting to stop Ace. She was thrown back when she got close to him, and Beast Boy caught her before she hit the ground. Realization hit her. "We need everyone off the building now!" Beast Boy nodded, and turned into a bird and quickly flew away. Raven grabbed Robin with her powers and began flying off of the building. He remained kicking and hurled a bird-a-rang at Slade. It hit, and his mask cracked and fell to the floor, revealing his face. Robin strained to see Slade's identity, but was too far away to get a good look. He cried out in frustration as Raven pulled him away.

Ace was now glowing brightly. Slade had a smug look on his newly revealed face, and he grinned evilly. "Come on Ace!" Ace cried out and a bright light emitted from his body. The sun turned black, and the sky was now blood red. A harsh wind blew all of the debris across the now barren city's grounds.

Raven looked up, noticed the sun and the sky, and closed her eyes. The worst was yet to come.

A giant white portal opened where Ace was hovering, and an enormous red claw emerged.

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so there it was. next chapter will be up soon, there's only three chaps left, so read and review!

oh yeah i forgot, agian, that i dont own those titans


	14. epiphany

**sorry for the hellish long update. i just bs-ed this chapter because frankly, im over this story. i will totally go re edit things and make it better when i feel like it, but right now, i don't really care how rushed this was. hahaha. one chapter after this one! review, if you care. **i dont own the titans**  
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**When the** red claw emerged from the portal that became of Ace, Raven shuddered. She and the rest of her friends were luckily on their way out of danger, for the moment. Beast Boy noticed the chill running down all of the Titan's spines. It must have been his animal instinct.

Slade, on the other hand, howled with a sense of accomplishment as Trigon's nails sliced into their dimension. He placed the Ring of Azar onto his finger and clenched his fists.

"Finally," he said. "My revenge shall take place! Trigon, even you must know to never cross me…" Slade took a horse stance and waited for the demon to come out. Ace was no where to be found, but Slade wasn't concerned.

Trigon's full form finally emerged. His eyes shone red and his horns looked as menacing as ever. He looked around the barren wasteland for a moment, and then put his foot on top of the building. Instantly, every support beam cracked, and fell beneath him. Slade jumped off in time, and suspended himself in mid-air. He grinned and watched the huge being fall to the ground, many, many feet below.

"Finally…" he said again. Slade lowered himself to Trigon's position and pointed the ring at him. Trigon stirred.

"You…" Trigon began. "Mortal! Have you not learned your lesson? You shall never surpass me…" Trigon got to his feet slowly. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted his daughter.

"How is this possible?" he questioned. "How did she survive my resurrection?" Slade blasted him with a beam of energy from the ring.

"I have a little… Ace in the hole that you need not concern yourself with," replied Slade. He hit Trigon again. This time the demon stayed down. Slade's plan was working. The Titans noticed the building fall from their safe distance.

"Oh man," cried Beast Boy. "He's here, isn't he?" Raven closed her eyes as they welled up with tears.

"Yes," she replied. Robin whipped out his bo staff.

"Well, we'd better go help," he said. "Trigon won't be here for long." Cyborg nodded.

"He's right y'all," said the robotic teen. "Even if Slade brought him back, we all know he's not going anywhere without our help." Raven looked at all of her friends in disbelief.

"C'mon Rae," reassured Beast Boy. "We did it before. Second time should be cake." He smiled. She actually allowed him to put his hands on her shoulders as added comfort.

"Alright," she said finally, glad that her friends wanted her permission before doing anything. "Let's go."

Starfire carried Robin while a pterodactyl Beast Boy had Cyborg by the shoulders. They quickly proceeded to the scene. Slade was not having much trouble keeping down Raven's father. The problem he did stumble upon was how to annihilate him completely. He pondered how to do this as he constantly hit the demon.

"Slade!" cried Robin as he let go of Starfire's hands. He landed on the remains or the building below Slade.

"Oh good," said Slade, an idea popping into his head. "The Teen Titans. This may prove to be useful…"

"Whatever you're planning Slade," began Robin, as he understood that Slade was going to use his team for something. "It won't happen."

"Robin, Robin, Robin," laughed Slade, shooting another blast at Trigon as he stirred. "It never changes with you, does it? Well you don't have a choice this time, my boy. If you want your city back, and Trigon gone, you'll need to help me."

"Sorry," retorted the Titan leader. "We'll take care of him. Then we'll take care of you." Robin lunged at Slade recklessly. Raven put up a force field and stopped him before harming the villain.

"Robin," she said. "If we're going to beat my father again, we'll need more help than ever. Don't be so rash." He crossed his arms.

"Fine. What's the plan?"

"If Slade can weaken my father enough, I can blast him into the dimension that he was imprisoned in before," replied Raven.

"Wait," interjected Beast Boy. "Didn't Ace take your ability to become the portal? Did he also take your power to send back Trigon?" Raven thought.

"No. I still have that power. I can feel it." Beast Boy sighed in relief.

"Perfect," said Slade, growing irritated at the conversation. "But why don't you give me a few minutes alone with the beast. I haven't finished my revenge…" Robin frowned.

"No," he said firmly. "Let's just get this over with."

With that said, Robin began pelting Trigon with an array of explosives. Starfire shot many star bolts and Cyborg fired his sonic cannon at the demon. Slade did the same using his powerful ring. Trigon remained on the ground, considerably weak. Beast Boy didn't join in the action. He stood by Raven as she chanted her mantra over and over before her eyes glowed white.

"Um, Rae?" he asked. She continued her chant, but he could tell she was listening. "Uh, I just want you to be careful, okay?" She paused for a moment and looked at him with soft, but still glowing, eyes. Then she continued her chant and rose into the air, looking down at her friend before giving Trigon her full attention.

"Beast Boy," she said finally. He looked up with a soft grin. "Thanks. But I need you to tell the others to get out of the way. I'm doing it now."

"Aye Aye captain!" he saluted. He turned into a hawk and flew off to his friends. They all instantly knew what was going on, but Slade was a little slow. He continued to pummel blasts into the demon.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

A bright white light emerged from Raven's hands and enveloped Trigon's body. Slade saw this and tried running off of the massive beast but it was too late. Slade was pinned to Trigon.

"Raven! Wait!" shouted Robin, noticing Slade's predicament. But it was too late. Trigon faded into his portal prison, Slade screaming the entire way with him.

A white light flashed over the barren wasteland that used to be their city, and slowly returned to normal. Buildings appeared, and the people returned. Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and finally Raven all came together in front of the pizza parlor.

"Heh," began Beast Boy. "This seems familiar…" He looked at Robin, and then at Raven. To his utter shock, she hugged him instead. He melted for a moment and hugged her back. After she let go, he turned to Robin.

"So are you gonna force the hug on her this time?" he said, half chuckling while he remembered the hugs from the last apocalypse.

"No," he said simply.

"Um, friends?" asked Starfire innocently. "What became of Ace?" All fell silent.

Raven spoke up. "He took my power to become the portal. If no one came to fish him out of Limbo like Robin did for me, I don't think he would have made it."

"Oh."

"Hey," began Cyborg. "Does that mean that Trigon can never come back? Since you can't be the portal anymore, and Ace… well, died… we won't have to deal with the guy, right?"

Raven thought for a moment. "True." Cyborg exchanged smiles with the group.

"I feel bad for Ace," said Beast Boy suddenly. No one else spoke.

"Yeah, me too," said Robin. He looked at Raven, who smiled.

"We won't forget him though," said Cyborg, as the group started off towards the door to the pizza parlor. "That's for sure."

"Of course not," said Starfire cheerfully. "He did after all help us be rid of Slade, correct?" Robin stopped dead in his tracks. All his years searching, all of his time wasted on finding Slade, all of the times he got so close. They were gone. He never had to deal with Slade again. He didn't speak.

"Yeah, that's right!" said Beast Boy. "Since no one can be the portal and free Trigon, no one can free Slade either. Wow." The epiphany hit all five teens at the same time. It was silent for a while.

"No more Slade, huh?" said Cyborg. "Ever…"

"Forget about it," said Robin. All eyes turned to him in surprise. "It's over. Let's get pizza." The four others looked in disbelief for a few moments, but got over it when they saw Robin head towards the door again. They resumed their journey to the parlor. Raven knew in the back of her mind that Ace was a sacrifice, a tool even, his entire life. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him, and to feel lucky that they're fates were not identical. She thought about him when they were ordering the pizzas too.

"Veggies!"

"Meat!"

"Mustard!"

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well, there it was. the 14th chapter. i am SO going to redo this later. review if you care, i kinda dont haha thanks for reading this whole way. im glad you did. i mean, i didnt even proofread this chapter. thats how bad i knew it was. haha but thanks again! one chap left.! 


	15. epilouge

WOW! i updated two chapters in one night! haha well, i think this story turned out better than worse. it felt very rushed and I'm actually kinda satisfied with the whole thing. well, this is it, please review! if you read this whole story, i'd love it if you would review every chapter. im going to redo this story so suggestions would ROCK! sorry about the pathetic 14th chapter, i know, i know, im redoing it. actually, im just going to have a completely different version of raven's ace. it'll be titled raven's ace edit, or sumthing. haha enjoy, review! thanks for everything!

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It was a **very quiet afternoon in the city that surrounded Titan's tower. Crime rates were ridiculously low due to Slade's recent departure from their dimension. Villains and citizens alike did not remember of the events that concerned Ace, Trigon, and the Titans, so they were in the dark about the master criminal's whereabouts. The Titans, meaning Beast Boy, decided to tell the world that they defeated Slade. His absence was the only proof anyone ever saw. Good enough for the Titans.

The Tower was calm, but tensions were getting high.

"Beast Boy," shouted Raven as angrily as she could. "I do not want to play video games again. Five rounds are enough. I've probably outdone myself this time, haven't I?"

"Yep!" replied the changeling. "Now, just one more game. If I win, then we get to have a tie breaker!"

"No," she said simply. The rest of the Titans arrived in the living room oddly enough at the same time and through the same door.

"Man!" said Cyborg yawning. "I'm bored as heck! Who's up for GameStation?" Beast Boy sighed.

"Sorry Cy," he said. "I'm all gamed out. Let's do something else!"

"Ooh!" said Starfire excitedly. "What shall we do? A movie? A game, perhaps?"

"We've seen every movie ever made right there on our living room couch," said Raven dryly. "How about we not."

"Yeah," said Beast Boy. "And I already mentioned how I don't wanna play video games again."

"Well," said Robin. "How about a non-video game?"

"Like what?" asked Cyborg.

"How about Truth or Dare?" said Beast Boy mischievously, looking at Raven with wiggling eyebrows.

"No," she said flatly.

"Uh… how about a board game?" asked Robin.

"Oh yes!" said Starfire. "Are we to play Monopoly once more? Robin, shall you explain to me the 'properties' again please. I have forgotten." Beast Boy slapped his forehead.

"No, no, no!" he shouted. "No way am I playing Monopoly with Starfire again! She won last time out of dumb luck. Besides, even I don't know how to play the real way."

"Fine. No board games," said Robin.

"How about a card game?" suggested Raven.

"No way!" shouted Cyborg. "Don't you remember what happened last time when I unleashed my all powerful wild card against Robin last time?" He grinned. Robin fumed.

"Well, how about a real card game?"

"Like what?" asked Cyborg. "Texas Hold 'Em?"

"No!" said Beast Boy. "That's ANOTHER game I don't understand completely."

"Ugh!" cried Raven. "Okay, what's a game that you DO know how to play?"

"Well, I know how to play Black Jack," he said. "That's easy enough to explain to Star, right?" Robin nodded his head.

"You're right," said the Titan Leader. "Good plan. Any objections?" Raven looked a little uneasy, but shook it off. Robin set off in explaining the rules to Starfire as Beast Boy ran about the tower to find a deck of cards. He ran back to the living room empty handed.

"Um, guys," he began. "Where do we keep the cards?" Cyborg scratched his chrome cranium and finally shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll get one," said Raven. She phased through the ceiling and arrived in the evidence room. A deck of playing cards sat underneath a glass case labeled "ACE". She took out the deck and held it in her hand.

"You'd better not help Beast Boy cheat," she said to the deck. She smiled slightly and phased back out of the room. Beast Boy looked at her.

"Sure you wanna use those?" he asked. The others didn't take the hint.

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'll deal. But first... who wants to make this more interesting?" He said grinning.

"How interesting?" asked Cyborg.

"Oh, nothing much," said Beast Boy innocently. "How about, the person who wins this first hand won't have to do dishes for the next… two weeks. That's fair, right?" Raven looked at him.

"That is probably the fairest bet you've ever wagered, Beast Boy. I'm in," she said. The others looked at Raven as she agreed, and couldn't help but nod themselves.

"Yes!" he replied.

Beast Boy passed out the cards like a Vegas dealer would, with one card showing to everyone. He was a fast dealer.

"Where'd you learn to deal like that?" asked Robin curiously.

"I'm just naturally skilled like that," he replied, smiling and looking at all of his friends hands. Raven got the best one as far as they could see. Robin had the four of hearts, Starfire had the seven of hearts, Cyborg had the nine of clubs, and Beast Boy had the three of diamonds. Raven got the Ace of Spades. All Titans looked at their face up cards and grumbled at their luck. Even Raven. Beast Boy looked over and gasped. The others followed suit.

"Heh," said Beast Boy looking at his face down card. "Well, my hand sucks. Everyone wanna flip?" They all did, after looking at their face down cards shamefully. Robin ended up with twelve, Cyborg with sixteen, Starfire with seventeen, and Beast Boy had six. Raven was the only one who didn't flip.

"Oh ho," she thought as she looked up after looking at her card. "Thanks, but no more cheating, got it? _Especially_ not for Beast Boy." She smiled.

"Well, what'd you get Rae?" asked Beast Boy curiously. She flipped over her card and smiled again, looking up at the ceiling, perhaps even past the ceiling.

"Twenty-One."

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well, what card do you think she got? who's ace's brother? how come raven looked up at heaven instead of down at hell? can u answer these questions? you'll get a gold star if you do. lol anyways, thanks again for reviewing, for reading, and everything else. check out my rewrite of this story in the future. i love all of you who read. the rewrite will be more about how i orignially wanted this story, so read it if you'd like, thanks again!

**CHECK OUT MY NEW STORY, "ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, MY DEAR TITANS" THANKS ALOT! **


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